A Stone Age tribe is hunted by an unseen entity in this wondrously atmospheric survival thriller, which unfolds in a fictional language.
Set in the Scottish Highlands some 45,000 years ago, “Out of Darkness” follows the misfortunes of a small band of humans whose boat has landed on a lonely beach. What they hope for is food and a cave to shelter in; what they find is terror and torment.
At first, the group is purposefully united, its leader (Chuku Modu) calming the worries of his young son (Luna Mwezi), pregnant partner (Iola Evans) and more fragile younger brother (Kit Young). As they head toward distant hills, however, their anxieties grow. Above them hang graphite skies; underfoot lie treacherous rocks. Huddled around a campfire in a forbidding wood, buffeted by unearthly nighttime noises and fearsome black shapes, the tribe begins to panic — all except one young woman (a ferocious Safia Oakley-Green) who’s prepared to go to unspeakable lengths to survive.
Unfolding entirely in a fictional language (which the actors deliver with fluid conviction), and enriched by lovingly rendered practical effects, this first feature from Andrew Cumming pairs its minimalist narrative with the maximum of atmosphere. The setting may be prehistoric, but there’s nothing primitive about the filmmaking, which molds mostly natural light and an unusually rich soundscape into something both elemental and hostile. Trees sigh and shadows stir, and milky mists blur our field of vision as the cinematographer, Ben Fordesman, turns the forest itself into a predator.
Bolstered by extensive period research — and in line with our evolving understanding of the overlap between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens — Ruth Greenberg’s script delivers a thoughtful, unexpected ending that’s more cautionary than splatterific. We can’t be reminded too often that fear and ignorance can kill as surely as any enemy.
Out of Darkness
Rated R for mauled flesh and misogynistic beliefs. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. In theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
