Sundance 2021: In The Earth (2021)

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