Reckoning

The Devil to Pay: Set in a remote region of Appalachia which is essentially self-governing, there's a Creed (Covenant) but stronger folks as always bend the rules. Lemon (Danielle Deadwyle) lives a fraught, marginal existence, her husband is missing, she's caring for her son when two heavies arrive. She is summoned to the house of a local strong woman (the heavies "mind" her child); she finds out that her husband owes the woman Tommy (Catherine Dyer) a debt and she now has twi days to make good on that or she and her son will be killed. She searches for her husband, gets a loan of a car in return for delivering vitriol to a strange Cult who live outside of the Creed. The vitriol is to bve used in a ceremony of passing on leadership. Some real Folk Horror vibes *both verbal and visual) here with the Cult's devotion to Nature, sacrifice and rebirth.. Not so much a road movie, rather a mountain movie as Lemon makes her way across hill and dale until she makes a horrifying discovery. But her quest/ordeal is far from over as betrayal and double dealing is exposed. The scenery here is beautiful but can quickly turn threatening as you transform from searcher to prey. The Cult are odd and responsible for some of the most gruesome scenes but their actions have an internal logic. Some other extremely violent sequence on the part of both Lemon and her opponents contribute to the disturbing nature of the film. Much of the horror is psychological though as lemon tries to fulfill Tommy's demands and find ways to outwit her. Reminds me in parts of Winter's Bone, the Wrong Turn reboot and Ozark but it is very much it's own film. Written and Directed by Ruckus Skye and Lane Skye. On Netflix. 8.5/10.

I saw the film at the Atlanta film festival and I was blown away. Right off the bat. the cinematography was drew me in, with a generous sampling of panoramic views of the north Georgia mountains scattered throughout the movie. But what really made the movie memorable was the acting and the story. Danielle Deadwyler gives a brilliant performance as a woman struggling to survive and to protect her young son from untrustworthy neighbors in their isolated Appalachian village. The pacing of the film is excellent, allowing the tension to build until the story reaches an unexpected climax.

The filmmakers should be proud. They've crafted a gem.

Great cast of Actors giving a glimpse of Appalachia existence when survival, animosity and love create reluctant situations.

Explores a part of US society many don't really know about. Great underdog story while emphasizing women's empowerment. Very entertaining.

This film starts off as a slow burn but gets intense and dramatic when you stick with it. The acting and cinematography in this film is decent. The first time I was introduced to Danielle Deadwyler was in The Harder They Fall so when I saw her name in this film I knew I had to watch. This film is quiet disturbing in some scenes, very character driven, you can't help but root for Lemon and her son all through the way and hope she gets her revenge.

I enjoyed the pacing and glad this film got to showcase the leading talent Danielle has. If you don't mind the slow burn with violence and grim then this film is for you.