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Jul 27, 2016 By Stephen Mayne Web Exclusive

As a species we’re prone to optimism, sometimes to humanity’s detriment, but that hasn’t stopped an obsession with our own demise. Into the Forest is the latest effort to start when the world as we know it seems to be on the way out. There’s nothing particularly flashy about this societal breakdown, allowing the focus to switch to two sisters dealing with the transition from the (sort of) safety of their woodland cabin.

Adapted from Jean Hegland’s novel, Patricia Rozema’s film finds Nell (Ellen Page) studying for exams, and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) practising dance moves while living out in the woods with their father Robert (Callum Keith Rennie). The kind of technology Google might present at a trade fair now seems to be in common use suggesting the setting is the near future. Aside from stresses over exams and difficulties recovering from dance injuries, the family seems happy. Then the power goes out and doesn’t return.At first this is more of a curiosity than anything else. Beside, Nell has burnt through the car battery so they can’t get into town anyway. When they finally fix the problem they find a place teetering on the edge of collapse. A creepy guy full of sinister allusions is manning the local store. Elsewhere, the kids, including Nell’s boyfriend Eli (Max Minghella) are out partying around campfires. No one knows what caused the outage. No one seems that interested.

That’s the biggest problem with Into the Forest. The rest of the film sees them back at the cabin where the sisters have to come together to rise above testing adversity. Page and Wood build a good rapport, striking a balance between hardy and vulnerable. Wood in particular excels in a horrific scene while out chopping wood. The momentum they build together can’t entirely hold. Neither Nell nor Eva seems to care what’s going on elsewhere. Eva is mostly consumed by her desire to listen to music and Nell carries on like nothing’s happened. The loss of the world they knew seems of little importance.

With the energy crisis dragging on, there are sparks of trouble, but most of the time they potter about as if on extended summer holiday. The sedate environment around doesn’t help in this regard, though at least surrounded by nature there’s a pretty backdrop to enjoy, shot tastefully without overdoing the foliage. As time wears on and things turn worse in a very dramatic way, there are signs that society is beginning to resort to a less civilized era when women’s rights weren’t something to be fought over so much as completely ignored. This doesn’t faze Nell and Eva who face up to an uncertain future with each other to rely on. It’s a rousing ending that might have hit harder if not muted by a rather disconnected apocalypse.

a24films.com/films/into-the-forest/

Author rating: 6/10