Into the Forest

Into the Forest
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Patricia Rozema
Produced by
Written by Patricia Rozema
Based on Into the Forest
by Jean Hegland
Starring
Music by Max Richter
Cinematography Daniel Grant
Edited by Matthew Hannam
Production
company
Distributed by
  • A24
  • Elevation Pictures
Release date
  • September 12, 2015 (2015-09-12) (TIFF)
  • June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03) (Canada)
Running time
 101 minutes[1]
Country Canada
Language English
Box office $37,418[2]

Into the Forest is a 2015 Canadian drama film written and directed by Patricia Rozema. The film is based on the book written by Jean Hegland published in 1996. The film stars Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie, Michael Eklund, and Sandy Sidhu.

Plot

In the near future, two teenage sisters, Nell and Eva, live in a remotely located home with their father in a forest. There is a massive, continent-wide power outage that appears to be part of a region-wide technological collapse. The car battery is drained, so they are left stranded for days. Eventually their father gets the car working and they make it to the nearest town where they buy supplies including gas from a man called Stan. Later Eva attends dance class while her sister meets up with Eli, a boy she has a crush on. Returning home, they see a stranded car and the girls' father offers to help the passengers, but after they brandish guns the family move on. The father says they will not return to town until the power is restored. Later, while cutting down a tree, he cuts his leg badly with a chain saw. Knowing he is bleeding to death, he tells the girls to take care of each other and love one another. They bury him where he died in the forest.

Two months pass and the girls are low on food. Eli arrives one night, having walked there looking for Nell. He says the surrounding houses and are all abandoned. After Nell and Eli sleep together, he says there may still be power and order in Boston. He convinces Nell to go with him. They leave, but Nell turns back after a night away from home, unwilling to leave Eva. Nell researches plants for food and medicine, and forages. After a night of celebration when Nell confirms she is not pregnant, while Nell is in the forest foraging, Eva is surprised by Stan while she is chopping wood. He assaults her and rapes her before stealing most of the remaining gas and the car. The girls board up the house and Eva stays within doors. Eva throws up, and soon realizes she is pregnant. To Nell's surprise, Eva has decided to keep the baby, saying that she doesn't want to lose any more.

During a bad storm, several beams of the roof break and Eva goes into labour. The sisters flee for a hollowed out tree stump that once served as their playhouse, where Eva gives birth to a baby boy. Returning to their ruined home, Eva decides to burn down the house so that anyone passing will think that they died in a fire. Before setting the house ablaze, they collect a few precious items and keepsakes, and begin to walk into the darkened forest.

Cast

Production

Director Megan Griffiths was considered to direct, but was ultimately passed on by the producers.[3] On October 21, 2013, Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood joined the cast.[4] Principal photography and production began on July 28, 2014.[5] On August 27, 2014, Max Minghella and Callum Keith Rennie joined the cast.[6]

Release

The film premiered in the Special Presentation section at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2015.[7][1] Shortly after, A24 Films and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S distribution rights to the film, it premiered on DirecTV before showing theaters.[8] In December 2015, the film was announced as part of TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten screening series of the ten best Canadian films of the year.[9] It was released theatrically in 15 theaters in Canada on June 3, 2016 and in the United States on July 29.[10] The film played for one week in 15 theaters where it grossed nearly $10k.[2]

Reception

Into the Forest received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 78%, based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Into the Forest grounds its familiar apocalyptic framework with a relatable look at the bond between two sisters, compellingly brought to life by Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood."[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 59 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Scott Tobias (2015-09-13). "'Into the Forest' Review: Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood Play Sisters in Survival Mode". Variety. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  2. 1 2 "Into The Forest". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Griffiths, Megan. "I Wasn't Hired to Direct Into the Forest – Here's What I Thought of the Film". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood Head 'Into the Forest'". The Hollywood Reporter. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "On The Set For 7/28/14: 'Ted 2′ Starts For Universal Pictures, 'The Greens Are Gone' Wraps ‹ SSN Insider". Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Max Minghella and Callum Keith Rennie Join 'Into the Forest' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Into the Forest". TIFF.net. 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. ↑ Fleming, Mike (2015-09-15). "DirecTV And A24 In Exclusive Negotiations For 'Into The Forest' At Toronto Fest". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  9. ↑ "TIFF reveals Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival line-up". The Globe and Mail, December 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ellen Page on Into the Forest's intimate apocalypse". CBC Radio. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Into the Forest (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Into the Forest Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
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