A Forest
Plot
A Forest is a captivating, visually-stunning film that delves into the uncharted territories of romance and the unexplained. The movie follows an idiosyncratic couple, played by lead actors Emily and Jack, as they navigate an unforgiving and mysterious environment that teeters between the realms of reality and myth. The film is framed around a single, tumultuous night during which the couple must utilise their fragile relationship as a lifeline, to ward off the perils of a disorienting landscape. This eccentric landscape, an offbeat and isolated region, has been wracked by a cryptid hunt, driven by a zealous group of local trackers. The hunters, an eccentric band led by a charismatic hunter named Jed, are determined to prove the existence of the elusive forest creature that has drawn the attention of the inhabitants for generations. They believe the creature to be a revered and mystical being with immense powers that defy understanding and defy logic. As the couple becomes embroiled in the turmoil of the hunter's hunt, Emily and Jack are confronted with an uncomfortable reality. While the husband has set up an implausible plan using small boats to sail across the swamped low-lands, the wife has a well-thought strategy involving ancient traditions that could greatly assist them in surviving the night. As tensions rise and chaos ensues, the couple finds themselves drawn headfirst into the fervour and the thrill of the hunt. Plagued by paralysing doubts, their meagre belongings lost, and hunted in their turn by the very people supposed to offer support, the couple must find a higher level of trust within each other, and a bond strong enough to hold them together, allowing the bewildered pair to be brave enough to move through the treacherous wilderness to where help lies beyond. Throughout their unimaginable ordeal, the couple momentarily rekindle a floundering relationship, which started to unravel once they became entangled with the eccentric hunters' mission. They relish tender moments and their own eccentric shows of affection, providing themselves a fragile sense of security that allows them to delve deeper into the depths of the unsettling forest. A Forest offers captivating insights into the complexities and the vulnerabilities associated with personal relationships, the ferocity of the human spirit, and the search for meaning in an alien world where rational explanations are sparse. Amidst this enthralling narrative, the vibrant backdrop of a mythical creature assumes its own dimension as a metaphor of an uncertain, troubled world.
Reviews
Easton
The grain hasn't been brewed into beer yet, and the animals haven't become sausages. The Czech old man doesn't have a barrel-like physique either. The quiet, fragmented lives of the old man on the edge of the forest and the family of newcomers, the days spent in the shade of the trees with a goat that steals food, are simply beautiful.
Easton
Mill streams and rustic homes, fields of shaded trees and wildflowers, goat's milk with mushrooms and light tea, adorable children and a simple father with a beautiful mother, a wheelchair and a broken bed with laughter abound. Human affection turns loneliness into warm light.
Sofia
The light is so clear, life is so beautiful. As they laugh optimistically about life and death, as they wander through the forest, and as they finally run and embrace in the clear fields, the edge of the forest is no longer lonely. Love and warmth dissolve the barriers, and there is more genuine affection in the world than you can imagine. Oh, the Czech people, living life with joyful bustle! I sincerely love you all!
Lacey
It's quite ironic that in 1976, the simple life depicted in the film was commonplace in China, while the Czech people yearned to escape their concrete jungles. Now, in 2021, we've drifted far from that pastoral ideal, caught in the relentless cycle of mortgages and car loans. This film almost feels like a fairytale now. When will it be our turn to contemplate leaving the city behind?
