Non-Spoiler Synopsis: A park ranger is looking for her missing sister. She finds more than she bargained for.
Ratings (out of 5)
Jump scares: none however the movie has a haunting atmosphere to it
Blood:🩸
Psychological & Suspense: 💀
Grief: 💧💧💧💧
Overall😱😱😱😱
Worth the Watch?
Lovely, Dark and Deep was released in 2023 and was written and directed by Teresa Sutherland. This movie stuck with me for a while after I had watched it. Perhaps it’s because I love nature, or maybe I was caught up in processing the themes in the film. The movie is beautifully shot and it moves between the calm of nature to the unsettledness of nature. In addition, the movie flows from the present to the past and to dream states.
Spoilers ahead-read with caution
“Into the woods, I go to lose my mind and find my soul.” John Muir
The movie starts with this quote. Setting the tone for what is going to happen in the film.
Lennon feels responsible for the disappearance of her sister when they were in the forest as children, as do her parents. It is something that Lennon has not been able to forget or forgive. So much so that she becomes a park ranger and gets placed in the very park where her sister went missing. Lennon is on a mission to discover the truth of what happened to her sister and all the other people who went missing.
A young lady goes missing, and Lennon finds her. When she finds the young lady, she asks Lennon, “Are you real?” Saving the young lady catalyzes Lennon’s journey into the unknown, where reality and fantasy blur lines.
The film traverses through realms of reality, dreams, and memories, weaving a narrative that unravels the mysteries surrounding Lennon, her sister, and the other missing individuals. Ultimately, Lennon learns of cosmic entities (the forest, the land, or something else) and the intricate bond between the land, the forest, and those who vanish, shedding light on the enigmatic agreement struck between the park rangers and the forces that govern the wilderness.
Dive Deeper:
"The basic theoretical premise is that ambiguous loss is the most stressful loss because it defies resolution and creates confused perceptions about who is in or out of a particular family. With a clear-cut loss, there is more clarity, a death certificate, mourning rituals, and the opportunity to honor and dispose of remains. With ambiguous loss, none of these markers exists (Boss, 2009).”
The film delves deeply into the profound impact of ambiguous loss, not only on individuals but also on families and communities at large. It serves as a poignant reminder of how we often find ourselves in the raw, unfiltered essence of our existence.
Lennon grapples with the profound grief of losing her sister, a loss that has left her family shattered and unable to reconcile. The disappearance of Lennon's sister tore apart the family unit, leaving behind a void that seemed impossible to fill. Ambiguous loss thrusts individuals into a tumultuous emotional landscape, where the yearning for answers clashes with the fear of confronting the harsh reality of loss and mortality.
In the aftermath of a disappearance, communities often rally together initially to search for the missing individual and offer support. However, societal biases and systemic factors can also come into play, leading to dismissive attitudes toward certain missing persons, influenced by factors such as addiction, occupation (such as sex work), lack of police involvement, and socioeconomic status. These societal dynamics further compound the anguish of those left behind, amplifying the sense of abandonment and injustice.
Want more:
Teresa Sutherland also wrote the horror western, “The Wind.”
Horror movies that take place in the woods, “Cabin in the Woods,” “Cabin Fever,” or “She Will.”
❤️ Watched, “Lovely, Dark and Deep,” what did you think? What is your favorite nature horror film? Is there a movie you’d love to discuss?
I’d love to hear from you! ❤️
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References:
Boss, P. (2009). The trauma and complicated grief of ambiguous loss. Pastoral Psychology, 59(2), 137–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-009- 0264-0