This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Brightwood takes one of the most frustrating things a person can through a turns it into a science-fiction horror movie. Jen (Dana Berger) and Dan (Max Woertendyke) are stuck in a marriage that is going nowhere. After a particularly awful night, Jen decides to go out for a run on a trail in the woods. Wanting to make amends with his angry wife, Dan decides to follow her. The two soon find themselves literally traveling in circles with no apparent escape.
Writer-director Dane Elcar does a masterful job of getting maximum investment with minimum production. The married couple are the only two characters for the vast majority of Brightwood while the same locations are seen repeatedly. The movie never feels stale or redundant, however. The opposite occurs as the great use of sound and well timed scares keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Redundancy is an important element of time loop stories that is difficult to manage, but Elcar manages to pull it off.
Since most of the time is spent with Jen and Dan, it is important to make them bearable. It is not necessary for them to be likable, (the script tries, but Dan never quite makes it over that hump) but the audience should not feel stuck with them. Berger is great in a difficult role. Not only is she helping to carry a two person show, she also spends much of the time frustrated and mad. She spends much of Brightwood looking upset and disgusted.
The plot does not force anyone to watch two just constantly sniping at each other the whole time. There are moments of humor that are funny without being comedic or taking away from the seriousness of the situation. Brightwood can be a little too on the nose about what it has to say about a failing marriage, but by the time it leans into the horror aspects, anyone watching will be genuinely worried for the two.
Brightwood comes to VOD and digital August 22
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