The Seeding

As an art film lover, you will surely enjoy "The Seeding". It is slow-paced, as is typical of art films, but that is part of its charm. The leisurely pace allows each viewer to form their own interpretation of the enigmatic story.

The main character can be irritating, but that is probably because he is meant to be. The film sound is fantastic and creates an excellent atmosphere. What's bad is that I saw the end of the film, already in the middle of it. It is also a pity that the lives of those who live above pit are not shown. Overall, "The Seeding" is a solid one-time watch film, that will keep you thinking and interpreting long after the credits roll.

I almost didn't watch this, based on several reviews here. After watching, I could understand how the bleak story could divide viewers. Though depressing, I found myself immersed in the situation.

I love the desert, so the setting immediately sucked me in. Though mostly limited to a house in a hole, it made for a fairly dramatic set piece. I'll need to search out how this was achieved.

I was also drawn to the character of Alina. I was wondering why she was so quiet and calm, while the main guy was freaking out. She seemed both disconnected and alluring.

Technically, it was very competent. Good cinematography, wonderfully eerie music. Overall, the movie did a great job of making me believe that this place could exist.

Wyndham Stone (Scott Haze) gets lost in remote wilderness. He is rescued by a woman (Kate Lyn Sheil) living at the bottom of a canyon. He gets hurt trying to climb the canyon wall. Then he is harassed and trapped by a group of young people.

This reminds me very much of 70's Ozploitation. Quite frankly, I thought they may be Aussies trying not to do their accent. That has to be the motif that filmmaker Barnaby Clay was shooting for. It succeeds at that. The movie is off-putting in all that right ways. It has a tiny location. It is simplistic, crude, and basic. Don't look for more or complexity.

Usually, I try to look at the upsides to every movie I watch. I really tried to do the same for movie, but it just made it so incredibly hard to so do. I mean, who was the target audience for this movie? Horror fans aren't going to like it, it's not a drama and it certainly isn't a comedy, so whom exactly was this film meant to appease? No one is going to like this movie because there is nothing about it worth liking. Aside from the awesome cinematography and the performance of the lead male actor (a performance wasted on this embarrassment of a film), there is nothing else that is even remotely worth commending.

Even writing this review, I found myself growing increasingly agitated at having wasted almost 2 hours watching a film that ultimately made no sense, and really didn't enrich my life in the end. My goal in watching movies is to find something that inspires me, or at least helps me see things in new and interesting perspectives. All this movie managed to do was frustrate me and annoy me in equal measure, and I would not recommend anyone watch this movie, no matter how bored or devoid of content you seem to be. It is a meritless endeavor that will take more from you than it is willing to give, and I implore each of you considering watching this movie to read a book instead. You will find much more value in the written word than wasting you time with movies that do not respect it.

This movie gets 3 stars for the cinematography and the magnificent acting by the male lead.

As an aside, there is a novel I read a long time ago titled "Woman in the Dunes" by the author Kobo Abe. The gist of that novel is very similar to what happens in this movie. I'd consider reading that book instead of watching this movie. You will have a much better time. I promise.

For those who are big fans of unusual or artsy horror/thrillers, I found that I had predicted the outcome after around 15 minutes- which was overall a shame. Whilst well created, with some beautiful scenes and building tension- it all just seemed pointless considering the plot "twist" was poorly hidden.

If you like stories that are a little bit "weird" than it might be up your ally as you may be surprised, but for those of you out there who are avid fans, I personally found the film forgettable.

There were also some story line aspects that weren't really followed up on/discussed- this feels like the main attempt to "hide" the outcome but in my opinion, makes the outcome more obvious.