Starting with the end of the world, “Arcadian” (2024) quickly fast-forwards fifteen years to a father, Paul (Nicholas Cage), and his twin sons, the outgoing, jock-type, Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), a mortal Mercury, and introspective, budding genius Joseph (Jaeden Martell), surviving on an isolated countryside with a nightly dusk ritual which requires them to shutter all openings to the house and hide inside until daylight strikes again. Thomas spends every free moment hanging out at the Rose farm with Charlotte (Sadie Soverall) thanks to the tacit approval of her parents (Samantha Coughlan and Joe Dixon). The dystopian world appears to be habitable if everyone follows these rituals, but there are plenty of dangers within each household, and the stalemate seems to make the creatures eager to change the game.
TikTok and all forms of popular media proliferate images that confirm societal gender bias that if fathers oversaw children, the kids would not survive that long, but dystopian movies continuously create a fantasy of survival with few women present. Cage delivers a restrained, subdued performance as Paul, who is shown running through alleys as the sounds of urban battle echo overhead. Like “The Green Knight” (2021), the camera briefly pans up to show smoke, and a person in battle gear surveying the chaos from the highest point, before panning back down to focus on Paul’s progress. These images evoke battle zones in Eastern Europe like the Bosnia war or the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. It is a rousing performance and setting which reveals the motivation for his journey and stamina: two babies dressed for winter left alone under corrugated metal in some covered shelter.
Arcadian is defined as an ideal rural paradise. The title may be sardonic given the circumstances leading up to the father and sons fate however after their humble, improvised creche, their strong wooden house in a forest clearing seems comparatively idyllic.
Even Eden was not problem free, and this countryside home is no exception. Without being explicit, “Arcadian” is drawing from ancient, verging on Biblical themes of conflicting twins reminiscent of Cain and Abel so the tension of the film lies in whether the brothers will destroy or save each other and break their father’s heart. The brothers can agree on one matter: their unconditional love and appreciation for their father’s sacrifice. No daddy issues here. Paul is far from an emotionally withholding, disapproving dad, and when Joseph blames himself for Thomas being in danger, Paul rests the blame on his shoulders and reassures Joseph. While he relates most to Joseph, Paul also appreciates and encourages Thomas’ difference.
“Arcadian” never mentions a mother, and men dominate this world, but it is largely not a lawless, uninhabitable one. The only women are shown on the Rose farm, whom the men outnumber, but it causes no conflict. Mr. Rose appears like an ordinary man, not a fearsome figure who has to keep the other men in line to keep the women safe. While Joseph is salvaging supplies, the only other woman appears in a locker size pinup poster, and true to his Biblical namesake, he is not tempted and closes the locker. The Rose farm is the most civilized, occupied area in that region. Thomas is understandably drawn to the community and the mutually attracted Charlotte.
Director Benjamin Brewer, a Massachusetts native on his third feature film, does an effective job of establishing the rhythm of quotidian life in various locales, the father and sons’ home, the Rose farm, the city, and the forest before destabilizing it and introducing the creatures. It is rare to have a slow burn movie. “Arcadian” is the kind of film that would be a tiny independent coming of age film without the monsters. The monsters are the hook because no one is going to a film starring Martell and Jenkins about fraternal conflict regardless of how talented these two young actors are. In this film, Martell resembles Daniel Radcliffe and already has an impressive resume with perfect performances in “St. Vincent” (2014), “Midnight Special” (2016), “The Book of Henry” (2017), “The Lodge” (2019), “It” (2017) and “It Chapter Two” (2019). Jenkins has considerable experience in television series but was the best part of “Joe Bell” (2020). These characters’ pathos is not easily dismissed as the usual teen angst, not only because of the setting, but because of how they ground their respective roles.
These characters are more like archetypes than three-dimensional characters, and the story is largely predictable with other dystopian dramas on television and film weaving more realistic and absorbing yarns. While watching “Arcadian,” an ordinary viewer may question why Paul did not interact with the Rose farm more or decided to choose his way of life. Some eleventh-hour developments on the Rose Farm strain credulity considering everything that came before. The entire story feels constructed to validate Paul as the ideal man in the dystopia who innately knows how to survive the creatures and only survives for his children, which is lovely except when the creatures play along to push this narrative. The fantasy paradise is not the Rose farm or the countryside home, but the adage that father knows best. Writer Mike Nilon is an experienced producer, who is also Cage’s agent and manager, and has only written one prior screenplay, “Braven” (2018), which I have not seen, but is in my queue (reason: Jason Momoa) and is coincidentally the only one of his films in which Cage does not appear. He deserves kudos for not leaning on the oft-used crutch of sexual violence, but his decision to ratchet up conflict Rose farm at the eleventh hour does carry the thick inference of women as the scarce resource, which Joseph threatens. It is a little ridiculous, and it gets countered with showing Charlotte as able to face the creatures. It feels as if Nilon is creating a story in which, thanks to Paul’s instructions, Paul can pass the baton to the next generation with Joseph and Charlotte as the new Adam and Eve, and Joseph as their safe, right-hand man who will never consider becoming competition to win Charlotte’s affections. Nilon has a very strange vision of paradise. Also, the dog, Rocco, does not die.
The creature effects distinguish “Arcadian” from other dystopian counterparts. A prose dump disguised as a children’s game will not prepare you for this creature. It resembles a child’s sketched rendering of a nightmare and seems impossibly thin, with translucent fingers, covered in porcupine like bristles and a machine gun movement mouth. For once, it is nice to have a creature that does not appear to be ripped off from Guillermo del Toro’s imagination or like a H. R. Giger. Unlike “It Comes at Night” (2017), the buildup is not disappointing, and nothing can prepare you for this horrific sight. Brewer nails that part of the film, which may explain why people are willing to overlook the otherwise unremarkable, standard plot. The lack of information about them enhances the script and does not feel like a punk out or lack of imagination.
“Arcadian” is the kind of film that you expect. Its standouts are the performances and the creature effects otherwise it is utterly forgettable and fails to break new ground. The ideal film would be to transport the monsters from “Arcadian” to “A Quiet Place” (2018), which had a strong story, but the monsters looked like the standard scary stalkers. We could have it all.