Hold the Dark (2018)

What is truly unsettling about director Jeremy Saulnier's follow up to Green Room is how he refuses to hold your hand as you watch his film. He doesn't explain anything. Instead he just gives you glimpses and you are meant to put pieces together yourself. And the pieces may not all fit, which can lead to an interesting and welcome sense of dis-ease for audiences which are so used to having things spelled out word for word. Hold the Dark defies our expectations and offers something uncomfortable.

Jeffery Wright plays a naturalist clearly unsure of where his life has gone and what he wants to do about it, thrown into a situation far above his understanding. And we follow him into this darkness, gloriously shot so that it is both beautiful and terrifying. Hold the Dark is a mystery, not in a who-done-it way but in a what-am-I-seeing way. It is both lovely and unsettling.

Saulnier has crafted a thinking person's edge of your seat thriller. A good example of this strength here is how just over half way through he creates this set piece about a gun fight between a lone sniper and the police sent to bring him down. It's riveting. It's intense. It's emotional. Saulnier has a way of making violent films where you feel each excruciating moment.  His violence is never egregious, but always visceral.

One can't really explain what Hold the Dark is about for two reasons. First of all you need to experience this sort of story without expectations without preconceived notions. Second because much of what makes Hold the Dark so fascinating is talking about what it all means. This is something to watch, ruminate on, and discuss. This is the kind of movie I wish we saw more of.

Hold the Dark
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough, Tantoo Cardinal
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writer: Macon Blair