In concept alone, Out of Darkness stands out as a breath of fresh, primordial air. A survival-horror-leaning idea that situates the story in the Stone Age is the sort of outline you’d see go viral, maybe get a Kickstarter by the person who posted it, and ultimately, never get made. Yet, here we are; this is an example of genre experimentation in a way that we don’t often see anymore. Regardless of the result, Out of Darkness should be applauded for that alone. Regarding the execution, your opinion may come down to just how willing you are to immerse yourself in the concept as it simply stands.
As the name suggests, this is a dark film, quite literally. Details are smudged and suggested in the darkness surrounding our subjects. Fire barely illuminates the scenes at night, allowing that nothingness to envelop most of the frame; the sun silhouettes our characters during the day, preserving that nothingness within their physical frames, as if they’re carrying a piece of it from what may have happened the night before. The slow-burn nature of it all is where you may falter, but dwell on those invisible details and revel in the day-to-day transitions and fixations, and it’ll likely end up working for you.
Despite that sedated pace, this thing still comes in under 90 minutes. The film strikes that weird balance between a methodical, odyssey-like structure and a beautiful popcorn piece of entertainment that has you in and out before you can really even think about it.
The thing is, Out of Darkness works on both ends; this is a particular screenplay that rounds the necessary genre bases a hundred times over. To come out so early in the year, too, the film breaks conventions associated with quarter-one releases. Where most tend to be buried, Out of Darkness jumps on the opportunity to make a statement right out of the gate. On every level, this is a confident film.
It exudes an energy of sureness; sureness in quality and delivery both. Out of Darkness consistently takes chances and throws a wrench in the machine. Not that it challenges expectations or breaks any great boundaries or anything, but it absolutely goes further than it had to in order to succeed. Here, too, the film deserves a heap of extra credit.
What may be even wilder than everything else is that this is a debut effort from director Andrew Cumming; few filmmakers come out of the gate attempting to deliver such a steep concept, let alone one of ancient significance. Cumming, having also co-wrote the script, clearly had a steady hand the whole way through here, delivering a vision of assertive creativity by way of sharp shadows and biting embers. Paired with director of photography Ben Fordesman, Cumming forges a cinematic outlook undeniably unique to his new (not for long) name. Out of Darkness is an impressive achievement for many reasons; Cumming’s confident debut not in the least, not by a prehistoric mile.
Really, this one is going to come down to whether or not it lands for you, which is a rare kind of stipulation. Not often does a film land and all that can be said about it is “You just have to see it for yourself.” Not that Out of Darkness is an immediately legendary achievement of any severely special sort, but for what it is (and even more so what it could’ve been) this is a remarkable feat. If you can see this in a theater, do yourself that favor, but you should give this one a chance regardless. Out of Darkness is a distinctive debut of promise and precedent, one that stands out among an unsurprisingly underwhelming slate so far this year.
Out of Darkness is currently playing in theaters courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Not that Out of Darkness is an immediately legendary achievement of any severely special sort, but for what it is (and even more so what it could’ve been) this is a remarkable feat. If you can see this in a theater, do yourself that favor, but you should give this one a chance regardless. Out of Darkness is a distinctive debut of promise and precedent, one that stands out among an unsurprisingly underwhelming slate so far this year.
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GVN Rating 8.5
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