I'll start by saying that I really wanted to like this film. The location was gorgeous, the cinematography is fantastic, and the story it's based on is an interesting read. The issue? A really bad script that needed a few more revisions, scenes that played zero role in the story, and some really bad acting from half of the cast.
Dollar store Udo Kier just didn't do anything to help the film, and neither did the younger brother. Every scene involving the two felt like a chore to sit through because the acting was just poor. The mother, despite being from Amsterdam, had a very American accent, so it felt unbelievable even though her acting was up to par. The only good casting here was the older brother and the settler girl, the latter was not given much material to work with either, which was a shame as she played her role to the best of her ability. It didn't help matters that the dialog throughout the film was incredibly stilted, for all parties involved.
Another point to be made is that the film is just boring for the majority of it's runtime. Virtually nothing happens until about the last twenty minutes or so. I understand that it's a slow burn story, but the writer/director should have done something to spruce the story up a bit. For instance, it's the reason why Mike Flanagan is able to pull of Stephen King stories so well, he knows when to take chances and when to be faithful. There is a lot that could have been done with this story, and it all just ends up feeling like one big missed opportunity.
The film also neglects to show even a shred of the brothers believing in Abraham's atrocities once revealed. The brothers never buy into the fact that the man's determinations might be true, therefore making at least 20 minutes of the film null and void. It's one of the reasons why the film Frailty worked so well. In that film, the boys were never quite sure of whether or not their father's supposed mission was real, or if he was just a psycho, making us, the audience, rethink the entire thing ourselves. It's something that you can tell was an inspiration for the storyline, but the writer didn't study that film well enough to understand why it was so compelling and apply it to this story here.
Overall, it can wait until streaming. Yes, the location was a nice view and the cinematography steals the majority of the show, but it's really not worth sitting through in a theater, as it was, for the most part, a bore of a film and not compelling enough to make it an interesting viewing experience.
1.5 Frailty knockoffs out of 5.
