Tethered

My friend Jon once told me that great movies will take you to their world and leave you there. He also hit me with a belt one time, and owes me twenty dollars, but he has a wisdom about movies that I respect highly. Tethered took me to its world and left me there. It is gripping, creepy, supernatural, and tense. To me, that is good horror. I wanted to know all of the things. I wanted to be omniscient in this world. But to my horror, I don't get that. Not knowing WTF is going on is a type of horror too. Things which made me love this film? The story is more unique than popular horror currently coming out. The acting is convincing and mysterious. The writing is believable in its humanity. The score is excellent and fits the tone of the story perfectly. The WTF feeling I had for the entire film. Look, I am easy to please. I think I gave the Phantom Menace a five, and I hate that film. Regardless, this is a great independent movie, and it deserves your watch. There are so many boring efforts by the movie industry, Anything with a spark of individuality deserves your viewership, I think.

Its a slow burn that is for sure. There was a lot that could of been answered or explained to give the movie a bit more coherence but was still very watchable. The main actor did a great job with the little he had. I feel the pay off at the end did not match up to the length of the film, there was a lot of build up and suspense for a very predictable finale. I think if you lke this film go and watch the 2020 film Hunter Hunter. Very similar in pace and setting but with a better ending.

For a low-budget movie it had excellent production values. Good character development, excellent acting, a mysterious plot that keeps you intrigued. The ending was pretty lame, but I don't really see how you could have a satisfying ending, but that was only about 2% of the movie. For entertainment value, it was right up there.

This film reminds me of It Comes at Night (2017), a slow burn that really has no purpose. It starts off semi-promising but feels like it loses its plot as the film progresses. It feels incomplete, playing on loop just to keep you watching for something that appears to exist in your head fueled by seclusion. I was not impressed with this one personally, but I will say that the cinematography is beautiful. It's dark, depressing, moody, lingering, but lifeless. The ending seems to have one of those what I like to call "suicidal" endings where it disappointingly dies. I wish the storyline was better.

This film takes a while to get started, but it doesn't waste your time. Blind from childhood, Solomon is taught by his mother to fend for himself on his family's land in the middle of nowhere. Living with his mother in a house with no electricity isn't easy, but Solomon learns to trap rabbits, chop wood, and fish. His mother constantly reminds him that if he traps food, he must keep half for himself and return half to the nearby woods, (We later find out why.) From an early age, he is tied to a rope anchored near their house so he won't wander far enough away to get lost if he is on his own. When Solomon is around 8 years old, his mother walks out into the dark, rainy night, never to return. She leaves him a recorded message on an old tape recorder reminding him that she loves him. Solomon plays the recording constantly. Fast-forward approximately 10 years and Solomon is a young man living on his own. He has managed to survive based on how he was raised. He checks his traps regularly and returns home no worse for the wear. Sometimes, however, he hears a horrendous shriek coming from the nearby woods. Solomon lies still and when he hears nothing further, he realizes he is alone and safe. What he doesn't count on is a hunter finding him and encouraging him to discover what is waiting for him behind the trees. I was really pleased with how the story takes off after the hunter enters the picture. I even thought I had plot figured out after the first hour, but I was mistaken! The ending was something I didn't see coming and after the film ended, I continued thinking about it, which is a sign the film was thought-provoking and interesting! Everyone involved in this film should be proud of what they created, especially Jared Laufree (Solomon). His acting was incredible, and I hope we'll see more of him in the future.

The film could have been beautiful, but you don't know what the topic is, what is terrifying, and the reason for the film's story!! A movie with a strange story, but the tuner is stupid!