When spring break and the past mix, something ancient is looking for vengeance.
Noseeums is an ambitious supernatural thriller that attempts to weave together personal trauma, local history, and lingering racial tensions. Fresh from a rough breakup, college student Ember reluctantly agrees to a weekend trip with her roommate and wealthy white “friends” to an isolated lake house in the Florida backwoods. What should be a weekend away soon becomes terrifying as Ember becomes haunted by people she keeps seeing on the property, particularly visions of a Black woman named Tilly.
For those scratching their heads, a “noseeum” is a tiny biting midge common in Florida, where most of the film takes place. They move so quickly that you often don’t notice the bite until after the damage is done, hence the name. That idea becomes a fitting metaphor for Noseeums, where the things you don’t see coming can still hit hard. It’s a first feature for both director Raven DeShay Carter and screenwriters Jason-Michael Anthony and Hendreck Joseph, and though promising, it doesn’t quite land the way it wants. That’s not to say there aren’t well-executed beats, and overall, the film has a lot of promise for Carter, Anthony, and Joseph. The dialogue between the four girls doesn’t always feel authentic. When conversations lean too heavily on exposition, the script falters. But when the audience is allowed to experience events alongside Ember is trying to solve the mystery with local man Earl, the story unfolds much more naturally.
There are a lot of big ideas at play here, including generational trauma and the lingering effects of systemic racism. Attempting to explore themes that large within a runtime of only 85 minutes is no easy task, and the film sometimes struggles to give those ideas the space they need. When the story slows down long enough to sit with Ember’s experience, however, the emotional weight of those themes becomes much clearer. Still, the film’s willingness to engage with those themes gives the story an emotional layer that many supernatural thrillers never attempt. Once the story gets going, the film moves much more fluidly, though it ultimately builds toward a final act that feels rushed and somewhat muddled.
Carter handles the direction well, and despite budget limitations and some mildly unfortunate CGI, there’s a lot of promise to be seen. Carter builds some nice suspense in her shots, and some of the supernatural scenes absolutely pack an emotional punch. The setting is also used in a very smart way, letting the natural wilderness build atmosphere and beauty.
Most of the actors do what they can with the material. The characters never fully reach the plane of being fleshed out, three-dimensional people. The “Mean Girl” interactions aren’t interesting because they remain caricatures. A fleshed-out “bitch” is going to be we love to hate, but a predictable one just doesn’t work. Aleigha Burt as Ember is far and away the standout star of Noseeums. She makes a character who, at times, can be quite unlikable, still compelling and sympathetic. Her screen presence is fantastic, and she is another person to watch for future projects.
The score by Justine de Saint Mars is very strong. It’s light where it needs to be, and never overshadows the action happening on screen, but enhances the tone of a moment and guides the audience through the shifts in tension. Many of the technical elements that can fall through a bit in an independent film were strong overall. Even the lighting, which is a hard balance to come by in a horror film, never felt overly dark in the scenes happening at night. The weakest point on the production side is, as mentioned above, some of the CGI. It’s unfortunate there was not a workaround for those moments, since they detracted from some of the scenes which could have been stronger otherwise. It’s always a balance when the budget is low, but when the effects end up distracting from the story and scene, it’s time to try something else.
Ultimately, Noseeums is an ambitious idea that doesn’t quite reach the realization it’s aiming for. Even so, the film offers a promising glimpse of several emerging talents. They’re worth keeping an eye on.
Noseeums is not available on Digital