The film begins very promisingly: we observe a quarrel between a man experiencing uncontrollable fits of rage with a woman who is in a dependent relationship with a psychopath ... as a result of which the latter receives a deep psychological trauma. As you know, this reaches for a similar, apparently that is why the main character Joy declares to himself: “I am a psychopath.” To cope with his depressive state, Joy, along with an old friend, goes on a trip to the lands of Native America, where in ancient times the Indians held healing ceremonies and honored spirits.
In the center of the plot are mystical events similar to the film Solaris: the jungle materializes the fears of tourists, but all this is performed clumsily, without first escalating the situation and without trying to give the events at least some atmosphere of panic and horror. What I liked was the background music. But to give the appropriate atmosphere, you know, music is not enough. The ending is very fast and the ending is not dramatic enough.
What I didn’t like right away was the selection of secondary actors: if Hannah Anderson’s appearance is pretty and sympathetic, then the appearance of Carman, Tara and Shina suggests the question, how did they go through the casting? And whether he was. The performance of the last two leaves much to be desired. Roseanne Supernault annoyed me the whole movie. Hannah Anderson (Joy) played a man in a broken mental state. Madison Walsh (her friend Carman) at the end of the film portrayed the emotions of fear more or less natural.
As a result, the film looks like a budget imitation of high-quality horror films of the zeros, which at one time attracted a lot of the attention of a sophisticated viewer, whether it is “Turn the wrong way” (the moment when hunters run out on the road in front of the jeep with tourists at the beginning of the film – clearly slicked from there) or whether it is the film “Descent” (a cave with narrow passages and a bloody monster inside). But this is not "Descent" and it is not too late to turn back.
However, there is something that deserves attention, namely the mystical interpretation of the psychologically unhealthy and toxic relationship between a man and a woman.
4 out of 10
After recovering from an abusive relationship with a psychopathic guy, Carmen goes with her friends on a mountain retreat hike under the guidance of a woman psychologist. The further the heroines go into the mountains, the more they are oppressed by fears and memories of past injuries. And Carmen seems to be following them.
Abusives are new monsters. Under this motto, you can roll a whole bunch of new releases - and, by the way, not all of these films are cruel abusers - white men. In 'Descent. The new chapter' (which is actually 'Dark Nature' and no 'Descent') is all classic. Carmen’s man is an unstable psychopath who can whine or break furniture and threaten both the girl and her dog. The story of this abusive relationship is certainly at the center of the film, not the fear-horror in the mountains. Approximately the same technique was used a year ago in shark horror 'Open Sea: Monster of Depth' where the heroine firmly associated a biting shark with her ex. In 'Descent. The new chapter' this approach works much better - stories heroines penetrate, they cause sympathy and empathy, and most of all questions arise to the psychologist, who drags a cheerful company to hell with the horns, repeating that they are not offended here (and she just takes a bear repellent). The authors use special effects to a minimum, and the atmosphere of a protected Canadian forest is involuntarily penetrated.
However, you will not be fed with creaks and rustles in horror, so in the third act, blood will finally shed. We will not spoil the denouement, but still say that with such a long twisting suspense, the solution could be more elegant. The film failed to avoid genre clichés - in a moment of danger, the heroines seem to decide to film all the stamps they know: they separate, go to strange sounds alone and behave extremely self-destructively. But this is a group of psychological assistance, we will make a discount on this.
It is good that in the final there remains, if not a full-fledged twist, then at least some variation in the denouement - we do not know exactly how the story will end. And the organizers of psychological retreats are advised to dig into the injuries of patients in a safe dry warm place. You will lose all your patients!
In general, tourism is good, nature is good, abuse is bad. Abusives, no downhill! Especially the new chapter!
Once upon a time, the world saw a very good and exciting horror called 'Descent'. It's been 18 years since then, but Neil Marshall's movie still sticks in my mind. Yes, the distributor remembers it so much that he decided to call the Canadian project 'Dark essence' localized version 'Descent: New chapter' Good or bad, it is up to all of you who will not miss this future novelty of rental, but in the meantime we will try to determine what kind of animal this is so outlandish.
We are not a girl, we are unlikely to ever become one. Consequently, we do not fully understand how the victims of an abuser, sadist, or psychopath feel. It seems to the girl that for some time there was an adequate guy with whom you can calmly make a nest, as in one languid evening the house of cards collapses, and foul-smelling swamps pop up, they have to gradually drown until the victim says loudly ' stop!' to stop everything once and for all.
It’s one thing to make the decision to get rid of abusive relationships, and another thing that’s more difficult is to run away once and for all, avoiding the temptation to come back and believe that you can start all over again. The main character Joy, who looks like Felicity Jones, is engaged in this in the film. Leaving with a friend in nature for rehabilitation, but as usual, everything gets out of control. Already frightening not only the traumatic past, but also the terrible present. Darkness.
In order to defeat the vile monster in a real situation, the main character will have to challenge her strongest fear in life. And how, whether she copes or not, you will look for the answer during the actual viewing. Here, besides the word ' essence' to the title of the film 'Dark Nature' you can choose different interpretations: dark character, dark nature, dark nature, dark kind. Therefore, before defeating the external fear, it is necessary to bring down the wall on the internal fear.
'Descent: The new chapter ' you can not exactly call a failure, since the movie has one undoubted plus: this is a location selected for filming. The footage is so gorgeous, so intimidating. Of course, it was reckless for five women to go deep into the forest in the hills, but some special air there beckons grief travelers. Then begins the famous struggle for life with any beast, and only a person depends on whether he surrendered. It is time to surrender and give yourself up to eat.
Now, as we understand it, it has become fashionable to shoot so-called therapeutic thrillers or horror films. It can even be an alternative to going to a psychologist. So it is not worth waiting for a grotesque mochilov. Here you definitely do not ' Hills have eyes' so just relax and try to have fun, breathing calmly.
About the film: A film selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival as one of the most promising genre films from around the world.
Plot: Joy, after domestic violence and a difficult breakup with his boyfriend, agrees to go with her friend to a retreat in the mountains, which should help her survive psychological trauma. But there she meets not only with her past face to face, but also with a frightening present.
Opinion: Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that Canadian director Berkeley Brady’s Descent: A New Chapter has nothing to do with 2005’s Descent. It is called “Dark Nature” in the original, but for some reason in the Russian rental it goes under this name.
This is the debut feature film for the director, the world premiere of the film took place at the international festival “Fantasia” last year. The film was shot in the Canadian Rockies, the actors performed all the stunts live, without special effects. By the way, landscape photography is amazing. The main role in the film was played by actress Hannah Emily Anderson (Saw 8). In the plot we have a retreat, and abuse, and psychological healing. It seems that the introductory data for genre films are very good. But...
The biggest problem is the story. Like it was written on your knee. Like, let's start like this, in the middle of something muddy and somehow finish. Hurry up. A strange story, strange characters that appear once and will not be in the film, undisclosed characters, peculiar dialogue, illogical actions – everything and everything is far-fetched. There are a couple of “frightening” moments, but mostly only music is responsible for suspense. The ending generally puts the point in the form of a "smokehead".
In the end, In general, it is unlikely that this film will ever become a horror classic, but you can watch it once.
6 out of 10
The story of Joy, who suffers from domestic violence. She joins a group of virgins and goes to the forest for therapy. But the anxiety does not leave the main character and it seems that her abuser is watching her, but the girls did not suspect that they will face a much more serious threat. . .
This is a psychological sandbox of horrors, where four virgins try to cope with their emotional traumas. In addition, the tape is also about female friendship and survival, about the resilience that allows you to overcome the past and face your demons.
The focus is mostly on Joy, who manages to beautifully portray the fragility of her character before she believes in herself and transforms into a strong personality. The evolution of the main character is a key component of this film due to the qualitative elaboration of her character. Other characters deserve a little more screen time and a little more information about their past. But it's actually Joy's story - it begins and ends there. And here, the picture overlooks intriguing and unique elements - the nature of Dr. Dunley's treatment, the relationship between the women and their severe injuries. The film does not explore the concept of female friendship and does not reveal the essence of therapy as a means of healing properly.
Visually, Dark Nature delights with good effects and beautiful forest landscapes, immersing the viewer in this impenetrable and mysterious forest, hiding secrets. In addition, the picture successfully uses its location in the open air in the wilderness: when the dynamics and tension of what is happening increases, you can experience a real sense of panic.
Moral: If you are offered psychotherapy in the forest, then think about how good a specialist is in front of you - he does not even have money to rent an office for sessions.
As a result, a female horror film about surviving and overcoming their past, using metaphors to demonstrate deep trauma.
6.5 out of 10