Film #23 — 2/3 Cult or Conspiracy Films
By C. Ramsay
Centered on two brothers struggling to make a living for themselves, considering instead a return to the cult they escaped from a few years prior, The Endless is most interested in the differences between found and blood family, and in the circumstances that amount to the sincerest forms of human connection.
Being built around Lovecraftian inspiration, once the film finds its footing it really digs itself into its style, though it takes a bit of time to get there. The beginning brings in a touch of mockumentary approach that’s only in play for a couple of scenes and never really comes back, remaining mostly, but not quite, forgettable. The camerawork during the first half hour is also a bit off-putting and feels quite amateur, with lots of shaky cam and quick cuts being completely mismatched with the pace the film is actually moving at. Similarly, Aaron and Justin, the brothers, are not very well acted at first, though once they arrive back at the camp they’d previously fled, the camerawork and acting fit in much better. Surrounded by little absurdities that seem accepted by everyone without question except for the brothers, the initial mismatched pacing retroactively works better to underscore Aaron and Justin as being displaced in the world outside of the cult, as well as their unease within it. Realistically, the biggest and most consistent issue throughout the film is that everything is tinted, slightly desaturated, and tilt shifted the entire time under some misguided attempt to visually force the viewer into feeling what already comes naturally from the rest of the existing components.
Another misstep with the visuals comes from how much is revealed at the end of the film, which gets a bit too blunt about its considerations. The cosmic horror ends up feeling strictly metaphorical for trauma, what it takes to break the cycle, and what some people find enticing about succumbing to it. Ironically, the entity is more established as such the less we know about it, and vice versa. However, where the mechanics of the metaphor monster falter slightly, the way that some of the more minor characters are written and acted make up a lot of the necessary discomfort. There are multiple standouts among actors with minimal screen time in The Endless, with Peter Cilella as Mike, Vinny Curran as Chris, and James Jordan as ‘Shitty’ Carl being the most enjoyable. The brothers only succeed as characters as much as they do thanks to the incredible work of the supporting actors, painting a vivid backdrop from which Benson and Moorhead are then able to orient themselves. This backdrop is most unsettling in its smaller details, which are often quietly discussed as if no different from other basic facts of life even though they couldn’t be more peculiar. Altogether, there is an intriguing and original enough story here, with lots of creative concepts and the occasional spine-chilling moment, to minimize any issues.
Star rating (/5): ★★★½
Recommend?: Yes