Jen (Dana Berger) and Dan (Max Woertendyke) are on the point of breaking up after what they call a stupid amount of time together - but that doesn't mean they can't go jogging together around a pond very near their house, to kind of talk everything over. Only, they're so caught up in their breakup plans that they lose their way - and quite literally so, their trail back to "civilisation" seems to have disappeared, all's left where they are is a trail around the lake, and no way out. After panicking a bit, especially since their phones don't work anymore, either, they figure they just can find their way through the woods, after all, how hard can it be? However, no matter which direction they go, they always just end up back at the pond - which apparently doesn't make any sense. Only eventually, they find other people, but that leads to Jen being staked to death. Dan takes flight, only to run into Jen, very much alive and unscathed. What they do discover is they are caught in a time loop, with other versions of themselves, some who have arrived here only recently, some having been there for apparent ages - but that doesn't make any sense either. And why have some versions of themselves turned homicidal, homicidal against pretty much "themselves", and why is there no way out?

Above all else, Brightwood is a testament to low budget indie filmmaking, as in how much can be done with very little. Basically it's really just two people walking (and occasionally running) around a pond. Sure there are some rather convincing flashes of blood and guts towards the end, but they hardly make the movie. The point here is, the writing is strong and based on a solid structure, the characters are well fleshed out and relatable in all their fallability, the acting's strong with the actors having a definite chemistry, and the direction and camerawork get the most out of the location. And the result is a very cool but also wildly unusual genre movie.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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