A nervous young man - Martin Lowery (played by Joel
Fry), visits a top-secret military cabin in the woods during the pandemic, to
help search for a missing solider who happens to be his former spouse. When
venturing into the forest to search for her, accompanied by another operative
named Alma (played by Ellora Torchia), the two come across a seeming friendly man
living in the woods. Noticing this man doesn’t have a care about the pandemic
or boundaries, Martin and Alma learn a lesson in trusting their instincts, and
knowing when to be kind and when to run.
In The Earth (2021) is a slow burn, unflinching
allegory for trump tolerance, doom preparers, Brexit, covid restriction
precautions, non belief in science, reckoning with climate change and Qanon
conspiracy theorists. Directed by known hardcore thriller/black comedy auteur
Ben Wheatley, In The Earth is a metaphorical and as well literally deep dive
into the year 2020.
Shot almost entirely in the woods, In The Earth
brings Ben Wheatley’s constant interested with psychedelic drugs - ie; A Field
in England (2013). While going full horror, with axe welding slasher-esque
tendencies in the woods - ie; Madman (1981). In The Earth keeps you on your
toes with righteous paranoia, leading to violent malicious menace, and terror.
Suspenseful and unrelentingly, In The Earth brilliantly points it’s commentary
of Capital stormers mutating into religious obsessed, servants of God, acting
towards the misfortune of non believers. Furthermore, reasonable people believing
in crazy Conservative ideologies, through one self interested aspect of those
ideologies, turning once reasonable people to irrational behaviour, such as -
Capitol storming or voting for bills to control one’s body.
In The Earth is top tier Ben Wheatley, and a much
needed return to form after the 2020 flop that was his Rebecca remake on
Netflix. Wheatley still has what it takes to make us tick and furthermore a lot
to say about these times we live in, with unique and impressive scope, making
this an exciting time for future Ben Wheatley projects alike. In The Earth is a
hell of a ride, as well as an insightful one. 9/10.
- Maurice Jones
