Get Away

 

Get Away
Starring Nick Frost, Aisling Bea, Sebastian Croft, Maisie Ayres
Directed by Steffen Haars

Sometimes I go into a movie not knowing a thing about it, and such is the case with "Get Away." It's one of those small independent movies that don't get a lot of attention, and I didn't even see a trailer before entering the theater. Around thirty minutes into the film I felt my eyes droop, and I was soon out like a light. Then I woke up and saw that the film was still meandering its way toward some sort of conclusion, before leaping into a shocking final act twist that came out of nowhere and actually brought some life to the proceedings - but it was way too little, too late.

Richard Smith (Nick Frost), his wife Susan (Aisling Bea), and their children Sam (Sebastian Croft) and Jessie (Maisie Ayres) are heading on vacation to the small Swedish island of Svalta to participate in their annual event known as Karantan, as Susan's ancestors hail from the region. Upon arriving, however, they're treated as outsiders and threatened by the locals, going so far as to approach their AirBnB at night dressed up in ceremonial garb and throwing a dead animal on their front steps. The family finds themselves hunted as a serial killer prowls the island, with the possible intent on turning Karantan into a real-life bloodbath.

Honestly, maybe I didn't give "Get Away" a chance, but when a movie puts you to sleep in the first half hour there's something wrong with it. There's no connection to the audience, the performances were lackluster, and the story was bland and dull. The majority of the film is like this, with odd choices that make little to no sense, and a meandering plot that moves at worse than a snail's pace. The family is treated as outsiders, but also seem to be hunted by the townspeople, especially the AirBnB owner who has an infatuation with their daughter. I've never seen a more confusingly dull movie, and I've seen a lot in my time.

Then there's the third act twist that had me sitting up to take notice, mostly because I had no clue how they got to that point. There's no indications that this twist was coming, and it doesn't make any sense - much like the movie as a whole. Yet it was somewhat enjoyable, as here is where the horror amps up with loads of over-the-top violence and gore which I would've appreciated if I wasn't so floored by the twist in the first place, or the odd way it went to get there. Also, I had already mentally checked out long before, so while I normally would've applauded a film like this for taking such a risky twist, ultimately I just shrugged as I walked out, wondering why I wasted my time in the first place.

The Score: D-