A successful narrative film needs a story and a script to get that story across: a story with engaging characters and elements of the traditional three act structure (setup, confrontation, resolution) to justify the audience involvement.
It isn't enough to just have an idea ("What if ..." or "How about ...") and base a whole film on that. If time and care is not spent on expanding the idea into a story, then the whole thing will feel drawn-out, pointless and unsatisfying.
Alas, this is what seems to have happened here. Someone had a neat idea ("What about a park ranger that is looking into why people are vanishing in their thousands in America's national parks?") but instead of using that as a jump-off point for the story, decided that this idea was enough for a full-length film, padded with endless and repetitious "dream logic" scenes and attempts at foreboding atmospherics that ultimately fall flat and go nowhere.
The result is in the end a forgettable bore, since there are no surprises, no resolution, no twists, nothing to reward the viewer for spending an hour and a half in these woods. A pity, since the idea holds within it the kernel of a promising story. Three stars for some pretty cinematography and a committed lead performance, but if all you have is an idea but no story, then no matter how good your actors, they will not be able to salvage your film.
It isn't enough to just have an idea ("What if ..." or "How about ...") and base a whole film on that. If time and care is not spent on expanding the idea into a story, then the whole thing will feel drawn-out, pointless and unsatisfying.
Alas, this is what seems to have happened here. Someone had a neat idea ("What about a park ranger that is looking into why people are vanishing in their thousands in America's national parks?") but instead of using that as a jump-off point for the story, decided that this idea was enough for a full-length film, padded with endless and repetitious "dream logic" scenes and attempts at foreboding atmospherics that ultimately fall flat and go nowhere.
The result is in the end a forgettable bore, since there are no surprises, no resolution, no twists, nothing to reward the viewer for spending an hour and a half in these woods. A pity, since the idea holds within it the kernel of a promising story. Three stars for some pretty cinematography and a committed lead performance, but if all you have is an idea but no story, then no matter how good your actors, they will not be able to salvage your film.