“Anacoreta” (2022) is a found footage film billed as horror but is closer to dramedy. A group of friends decide to go to an inherited cabin in the woods for one last time before it gets sold and get to know a member’s new, soon-to-be-famous girlfriend. They bring along a cameraman to multitask, shoot footage and make a film, but tensions rise as they realize that they have not agreed upon the game rules of what is real or fake. Or is the conflict scripted into the real movie? If the seams of the real movie are showing, then is that the movie or is there a larger movie? Yes. What is real and what is not? Unlike most found footage films, the actors are good, and the characters are interesting even at their most aggravating, but inscrutable nighttime scenes and the same red flags appearing alongside tropes makes it hard to get invested in anything except when they decide to cut the movie or ties with each other.
The characters are fictionalized versions of themselves, and it is impossible to tell what the filmmakers want the audience to walk away thinking so maybe it was just a labor of fun and love and to prove that they could do it, but way better than most if not all Kickstarter films. Cowriter and director Jeremy Schuetze plays Jeremy, the director and boyfriend of up-and-coming actor Antonia (Antonia Thomas from “Misfits”). Initially Jeremy supports Antonia’s career, but as her chances for success increase, he chooses the worst time to reveal how controlling and manipulative he can be. Childhood friends, Jesse (Jesse Stanley) and Matt (cowriter Matt Visser), are sick of Jeremy’s crap and are pleasantly surprised that Antonia is down to earth and not a diva. Gully (Ben Gulliver), the Scottish cameraman, is on the clock and cannot participate in all the festivities but partakes on occasion.
During the first act of “Anacoreta,” it rushes into bringing the group together without the usual introductions and getting to know you dialogue to help establish the characters’ personalities and dynamics, which feels necessary if Antonia is meeting them for the first time. Instead, there are tons of pleasant, transcendent travelogue montages, and there is no friction because of the new group configuration. The film may have bought itself more goodwill if it had taken its time. The problem with a lot of films is that they forget how normal people act. Gully and Antonia are the group’s new additions, and the established group clearly think that Antonia is the star. If more time was devoted to the group settling into a new dynamic while Jeremy is gradually getting pushed to the margins of his own production and friend group, it would be easier to forget that we are watching a movie about people making a movie without diluting the latter. Christopher Guest’s movies do this well. While they should make their own film, it does not hurt to check out when and why similar setups work in other films.
The traditional horror is tepid as strange occurrences happen. Antonia has a keen eye for spotting Jeremy faking situations and refuses to be gaslit. She does not tolerate it, but when Jeremy apologizes and does not keep his promises to stop faking the funk, there are little to no consequences. It was instantly funny the first time that it happened, and let’s hope that it is “laughing with you, not at you” situation because then “Anacoreta” is a success. It results in introducing a new character who has his own vibe and code of conduct, which as a straight man, makes him the perfect foil for everyone else. Meanwhile Matt is sick of Jeremy not finishing anything, including their first film collaboration, which is the title of this movie. The environment seems to affect Jesse even though the set up seems completely fake.
Even though “Anacoreta” is short, it feels too long. The horror film that they are making has a laughably poor story. If Jeremy’s grandfather was a successful author, and he watched it, he may have decided to go back in time and revise his will. The use of sound in one scene helped move the story forward. Only Stanley makes the horror theme convincing. Stanley could be Merryl Streep and no one would buy the horror considering the story’s trajectory. Is the point to show how actors will do anything to make their own opportunities? How much of the movie’s flaws are intentional to play with the tropes of horror movies or mistakes that need to be fixed before they shoot their next film? It was a mistake to bill it as a horror film because it is never scary though it had the potential. It was actually a relief that it was not scary because after the real-life story of the circumstances and suspicions over Tamla Forsford’s death and the events of this week in the UK, this movie could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
As a secondhand embarrassment film, which is my version of a horror film, it works well as a friendship, professional and romantic relationship breakup film if they leaned into it, but those themes are not the point of the movie but are the point of the movie within the movie. A Russian nesting doll movie is only as good as the stories inside of it, and if everything is fake, it is challenging to stay invested. Still watching Jeremy fumble everything while trying so hard to succeed and fail was ridiculous in the best way ever. It is great to have a horrible, try-hard character who is not good at anything, but it is not as satisfying as it could be because the consequences get monotonous. Everyone yells at him but stays. It is more intriguing as the group rearranges itself and has new bonds.
In the day, “Anacoreta” is gorgeous. At night, you may be tempted to check out because it feels like listening to a radio play as people exclaim about what they are seeing but it is often impossible for the audience to see what they see between the lighting and the shaky cam. Unfortunately, because most people will stream this film and not see it on the big screen, the nighttime scenes’ effectiveness may vary depending on which device you use. No idea if it is better on a television or a mobile device. Movies are not meant to be seen this way, but Schuetze should not feel too badly considering that the makers of “Game of Thrones” did know better, had more resources and still fumbled the ball with nighttime scenes. Contemporary filmmakers need to make movies for the big screen but check their work on smaller devices to ensure that nothing gets lost in translation. It is also the point of the film that Jeremy is constantly annoyed at Gully’s camera movement and must direct him while acting so hopefully the visual effect was intentional. While the bad camerawork may be the bit, found footage films are enjoyable because viewers want to believe that what is on screen is real and are willing to tolerate bad camerawork to get there. When a film is this meta, and there is no pretense of truth, the camerawork needs to be a skosh better.
Since everything is fictional, I’m walking away impressed with performances, amused and entertained, but not intrigued. Maybe it is unfair, but I wanted more. Extra points for a black cat eating grass. If you go into “Anacoreta” with modest expectations and do not hold it to its promise of being a horror movie, you will be pleasantly surprised. If you are looking for genuine scares, keep it pushing or risk getting pissed. For a debut feature, Schuetze and Visser show promise but need to learn from Jeremy’s mistakes. Don’t try to make a big splash and get mud all over yourself. Make a movie without the gimmicks that detract from the story’s strengths and target the right audience, not the most views.
