The woods have been scary since the release of “The Old Dark House.” Characters like LIttle Red Riding Hood have been part of our American psyche since the 40’s or before. We like exorcising our fears through movies. Nowadays it’s no joke.

The precarious nature of our modern struggles keep us home. We avoid scary places like the forest because life is so unpredictable right now. So, the question arises, “What do the woods signify here?” The answer is: they signify the unknown and being eaten alive within them. Now for the film I’m set to talk about today: Anthropocene

Somewhere between “The Blair Witch Project” and “The Walking Dead” you’ll find “Anthropocene.” It’s probably closer to “The Walking Dead” in that it’s set in an Apocalypse. The creepiness of the forest permeates. The director uses the “free” forest for the independent film. But the soundtrack belies its budget! I found the music to be cinematic yet zen relaxed. I reclined the chair a few times and just let it wash over me, very good work there. The cinematography is another strength. When someone “walks away” from a farewell, they are literally in the shot until they disappear. I’m not sure everyone will like that aspect. At any rate, it was the lead actress, the director’s choices, and the soundtrack that kept my interest here. First, let me tell you about my impressions of the lead actress.

In between all the cast arm tattoo shots we have our lovely heroine: Claire (Michelina Houlihan). This character takes us through the film. In a way, it’s all filmed from her perspective. I do hesitate to assume anything though because the small dialog in this film doesn’t do much to illuminate us. She is fun to watch and quite attractive I might add. Like all in the cast, she is an entry level but I’ll be watching for her in the future, she has an attitude I like. The director has done a bunch of stuff I haven’t seen or heard of so I won’t try to analyze him much. In some ways, it’s up to the individual to say whether this film is good or not. I can see how if I was in a bad mood, I might not have wanted to sit through the no dialog film with at times terrible acting and story. Still, I liked this film for what it was, a way to trip out on the sound and scenery and it provided that well for me.

IMDB has some very low user ratings of this film. They are calling it “homemade” etc. I agree that shines through. I think a director has to use rustic low budget when it suits him not when it’s the best he can afford. After all, you are crafting a film not clipping coupons. I wonder about that sometimes. What do you think? Share in the comments, let’s make this a dialog. Some have criticized this film saying it’s like an amateur handheld camera film. I think they used that technique but it appeared the best they could do. The photography however at times is truly stunning and beautiful.

The parts with the roadside abandon homes were neat for me. I love looking at abandoned things, they are quite creepy. This worked and warranted the makeshift backgrounds but we were forced to stay out there so long, maybe it wasn’t effective because of all that waiting.

In conclusion, these elements I have shared made this film enjoyable for me. You will have to forgive some truly awful dialog and fake stabbing scenes but after you get over that, this is a nice one to just put on an drift off into a nap to. There are a lot of beginnings of ideas in this film. The lack of water is one that is not developed. You could take off on these and have a better movie. Another thing they tried to do but didn’t was to explain the virus. Instead we just watched an overweight gentleman try to shoot himself. That left me quite unsatisfied. Still, the entrancing score and the naturalistic cinematography really took me...