Taglines: Nature is a force of evil.
In the Earth Movie Storyline. As a deadly virus ravages the world, Dr. Martin Lowery embarks on a mission to reach test site ATU327A, a research hub deep in the Arboreal Forest. The arduous journey, guided by park scout Alma, is set back by a nighttime attack that leaves the two bruised and shoeless. When they run into Zach, a man living off the grid, they gratefully accept his help. Zach’s intentions aren’t exactly what they seem, however, and a path out of the forest and into safety quickly fades as the line between myth and science blurs.
Writer/director Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, 2013 Sundance Film Festival) delivers a visually rich and disorienting viewing experience that defies easy categorization. In a departure from his sleek genre thrillers (High-Rise, Free Fire), In the Earth uses an understated and unnerving synth score, mystical allusions, and nature itself to instill a feeling of unease and danger. As Martin and Alma desperately look for a way out, this stripped-down approach unfolds into a psychedelic kaleidoscope of changing colors, shapes, and sounds that turns the world inside out.
In the Earth (styled on the poster as IN THE EⱯRTH) is a 2021 science fantasy horror film written and directed by Ben Wheatley. An American-British co-production, the film stars Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia, John Hollingworth and Mark Monero. In the Earth had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021 and was released in theaters on April 23, 2021 in the United States by Neon.
About the Story
A deadly virus has ravaged the world, and people are struggling to develop a cure or find ways to live in spite of the virus. Martin Lowery is a scientist sent to a government-controlled outpost located in an unusually fertile forested area outside of Bristol to help in the studies and experiments of his former colleague and ex-lover Olivia Wendle regarding using mycorrhiza to increase crop efficiency. After passing a physical examination and meeting his park guide Alma, he learns of the local legend of Parnag Fegg, a woodland spirit. The following morning, Martin and Alma begin their two-day hike toward Olivia’s site.
Alma informs Martin that Olivia has not been heard from in months, and later, she finds a small box where Olivia would leave notes and updates of her research, only to discover it empty. The next day, Martin and Alma reach Olivia’s “mycorrhizal mat,” a wide-spanning area where the forest’s flora is connected in a singular network using fungal hyphae. That night, Martin discovers an odd, ring-shaped rash on his arm before he and Alma are assaulted by unknown assailants who also raid their camp, destroy their equipment, and loot some of their supplies. Forced to carry on barefoot, Martin badly cuts his foot on a sharp stone jutting out of the dirt, which Alma helps treat.
Getting closer to the site, Alma is alarmed by the absence of wildlife and the feeling that they are being watched. They are then approached by Zach, a man living in the woods who offers to lend the pair some shoes. Taking them to his own campsite, Zach disinfects and stitches Martin’s wound and gives them both food and a drink made up of various flower petals. Martin and Alma begin to lose consciousness and realize they have been sedated, but fail to escape. Zach then takes their unconscious bodies, dresses them in white robes and takes several ritualistic photographs of them in various poses with white paper ellipses placed over their eyes.
Upon waking up, Martin discovers his arm carved and stitched with a strange symbol. Zach describes it as a mark to be seen by a presence in the woods, claimed by him to have once been an ancient sorcerer who placed his essence in a standing stone somewhere in the forest. Zach also accuses Olivia, who’s later revealed to be his ex-wife, of trying to control the presence, while he believes in honoring it through worship as well as his pictures (that he’s taken using several other victims). After giving them a weaker sedative to keep them awake, Zach informs Martin that the cut on his foot has gotten infected, and he amputates several of his toes using his hatchet.
While Zach takes Martin outside to take more photographs, Alma acquires a discarded blade to free herself and Martin before attacking Zach with his photo-developing equipment. As Martin and Alma flee, Zach manages to shoot Alma with an arrow before chasing Martin with an axe. Martin and Zach come across some of Olivia’s equipment, including loudspeakers strapped to the trees and several strobing fluorescent lights that result in both of them suffering intense hallucinations. After encountering the standing stone, Martin is found and rescued by Olivia as Zach appears to succumb to his earlier injuries. Alma, having survived her injuries, finds her way to Olivia’s camp.
In the Earth (2021)
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia, John Hollingworth, Mark Monero
Screenplay by: Ben Wheatley
Production Design by: Felicity Hickson
Cinematography by: Nick Gillespie
Film Editing by: Ben Wheatley
Costume Design by: Emma Fryer
Makeup Department: Emma Scott
Music by: Clint Mansell
MPAA Rating: R for strong violent content, grisly images, and language.
Distributed by: Neon (United States), Universal Pictures (International)
Release Date: January 29, 2021 (Sundance), April 23, 2021 (United States), June 17, 2021 (United Kingdom)
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