Unnerving, compelling but afraid to embrace ambiguity (thematic spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2020)

An unnerving piece, focusing in on self-imposed isolation emerging from a desire to be doctrinally pure. The film ostensibly builds on how a family, moving themselves away from the Pilgrim community with whom they entered the New World at the behest of a devout and driven father, begin to develop paranoid notions regarding their fate, both related to their abandonment by God and the influence of darker forces. The pacing of all this is done incredibly well and the acting compelling, especially the younger actors, who I feared were verging on being traumatised such was their commitment. If anything, the ending let's the building tension down little, giving as it does an unequivocal answer to the central concerns being presented throughout. I did wonder if leaving everything ambiguous might have been a bolder approach. As it is, arguably what is presented as explanation lets certain family members' perspectives off the hook somewhat.