By: JWBM
"Hold the Dark" takes place in a particular area of Alaska that becomes a character in itself. It's cold, it's harsh, it's remote: it attracts a variety of different types that adapt to a degree, or transform into something else entirely. The sleepy town gets turned up side down when a researcher gets called to look into a local woman's child who was recently visited by wolves.
At the forefront of this feature, the atmosphere and pacing has a certain grip that squeezes tighter and tighter. It's intense, somber, and transfixing—wanting to see more and be involved with these particular people and this particular place. It's as dark, moody, and violent as a thriller at select times, while also being heavy on the mystery, and sporadic with knives-raised, guns-drawn action. It's full of bizarre behaviors and motivations that'll make you cock the head to the side, and then possibly lock a few doors just in case. On the one hand your brain has a hundred and one questions, but on the other you feel the sheer ferocity and emotional impact of the moment. The film has so many bizarre aspects going on as to be its own form of an alternate reality that goes back and forth between rightfully teasing your sense of disbelief to making you question its take on rational viewpoints. The story is layered in enough elusive directions that it might take two viewings and some clever discussions with your friends to unravel it all.
"Hold the Dark" comes across as a mix of mental illness, supernatural hints, animalistic behavior, and forgotten/neglected locals who've lost their way. There are times where you have something to follow; there are other times where you are led astray to have a surprise that hits you broadside. The film is methodical and carefully paced—crafting and developing a certain scene before moving on to the next sensation. The story isn't going to take the place of other features with richer character development and more dramatic moments you can sympathize with. Though it took something you've probably seen before and gave it a unique, more aesthetic spin. In other hands it could have been a complete, convoluted mess from so many angles and tone shifts.
What's interesting is with or without the mystery angle, it still works as a cold-blooded, unmerciful revenge thriller involving the woman's husband who's returned from war with a cold, unflinching demeanor and a dangerous set of skills. As often seen, the person goes through a transformation, but there's never a clear cut winner on either side. Just fragments of emotions with jagged corners that still manage to cut and sting when reflected on.
Rating: 7.5/10
Director: Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin; Green Room)
Actors: Jeffrey Wright; Alexander Skarsgard
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link
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