LandLocked

I wanted to like this movie; I really did. But despite all the reviews I read describing it as a slow burn, nothing burns that slowly. I love nostalgia. But the film became disjointed at times and didn't always make sense to me. I know this film was a family affair for its maker. His actors were family members, and much of the video footage was of him and his two brothers and father during the boys' own childhood. So it is very sweet in that sense. But there didn't seem to be anything the movie was ever really moving toward, which is basically where it ended up. I kept watching because I kept expecting something to happen. But it never really does. It just ends. I could have saved myself a lot of time if I could have found a detailed synopsis online.

The premise seemed interesting and this was listed under horror. I enjoy a good found footage film so I thought I would give this one a go. It's a no. The actor/director appeared to be sleepwalking through the film. He could not have looked any more uninterested. I found myself dozing off as I kept waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen. Besides the guy walking around with that dumb look on his face. Spoiler: nothing happens. The end. My review is too short, much like this film...however I felt like I was watching for hours. Ok IDMB is this long enough for you? No guess I'll keep going then...oh wait now I can stop.

Subtle, compelling personal drama about the mesmerizing power of nostalgia and loss. You have to enjoy quiet, thoughtful films to enjoy it. It's an underrated indie gem with a lot to chew on.

Also, I read about it afterwards, the old video footage is the director's actual family footage, his family's house, and his real family members. I wish I had known before, makes it more riveting since he's reimagining his own family life.

Wrongly catalogued as "horror" which may explain some of the bad reviews that were expecting something else. I love horror so it's why I initially found it, but it's something else, more sci-fi. But isn't easy to categorize.

This movie proves that you don't need a big budget to make a creepy, provocative, and unsettling story.

This is truly a uniquely conceptualized film and it was a delightful surprise to this avid horror movie fan. No jump scares; just a simmering, auditory creepfest that reminds the viewer that nostalgia can have a dark side if indulged too deeply.

I really hope to see more from this director. Brilliant work that utilizes very simple auditory and visual effects to build tension.

Yes, this is a low fi, low budget film that focuses on an unspoken internal dialogue. If that kind of creepy introspective work does not appeal to you, you won't appreciate this. Personally, I loved it.

I loved this film. Something about it felt deeply personal to me, I must be about the same age as the creators early 30's because I can relate to everything, having a similar video camera as a kid. The rope swing, the Halloween mask. Knowing all the actors are related and the home videos are from their past makes it very touching, although an unsettling and dark movie but it is also touching at times too. I enjoyed the story and the concept was really cool. Simple and affective. There isn't much dialogue but it doesn't need it. It goes to show you if you have talent you don't need a big budget to make a good film. I give it 10 I'm rooting for them and I would like to see more in the future.