The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. While “Brightwood” is in essence a horror movie, deep down it’s a movie about a toxic relationship. The couple we meet in Dane Elcar’s horror film are stuck in an endless circle of pain, abuse, and infidelity. By coincidence one fateful day, they find themselves stuck in an endless time loop near a pond. The setting for “Brightwood” comes off as very unassuming, but director Elcar manages to really inject a sense of terror within this scenic pond. The moment both characters realize that they’re probably stuck in this endless circle, it pits them against one another.
When a couple has been together for a “stupid amount of time”, as in the case of Dan (Max Woertendyke) and Jen (Dana Berger), then breaking up is a difficult thing: years of shared history blur into bad feelings, anger obscures rational solutions and it can feel as if you’re going around in circles.
Whether intentional or not, not only does this rift in reality force them to work together, but it also drops all their facades of happiness. Deep down they truly dislike one another, and this might be their own undoing in the end. The production is fairly minimal with a simple setting and only two characters in the film, but Elcar uses his small resources well. The movie is very horror oriented, but it’s also richly composed of interesting characterization. Neither person in this duo are terrible per se, but their unhappiness inspires a sense of bitterness that posit them as antagonistic toward one another.
It also helps that Max Woertendyke and Dana Berger are very good in their respective roles. The pair really bring these characters to life with their strong performances. Director Elcar’s editing matched with his ace direction allows this scenario to feel hopeless and bizarre from the starting gate. The circumstances they’re stuck in is extraordinary, but also feel very probable. What would happen if one day we just ran right in to a tear in reality and found ourselves stuck in this endless time loop. Much of what’s happening is kept ambiguous to the viewer, and this mystery slowly unfolds as the narrative progresses.
I was very much invested in what was occurring with these characters, and was anxious to know why they were stuck in this trap. Was it punishment for their terrible relationship? Was it an experiment? Are they just going mad? Was it a test of their bond? Nevertheless, I had a good time with “Brightwood” as it’s a strong cerebral horror film that will keep viewers debating for days.
Screening at Panic Film Festival from April 13th-24th and then at Salem Horror Fest on April 23rd at 2:15pm.