TO THE MOON – Review

TO THE MOON bears an intriguingly vague title. Space-travel sci-fi? Werewolves howling? Ralph Kramden’s recurring threat to Alice on THE HONEYMOONERS (my age must be showing from that reference)? Or an homage to those who boldly bare their backsides for amusement or social commentary?

Answer: none of the above.

What we get is an eerily suspenseful psychological thriller set in an isolated cabin in the woods, during a dreary winter. All movie buffs know that something wicked must that way come whenever any city folk or college kids head for such a setting. The legacy from decades of those films adds to the sense of looming menace, as we wonder exactly what is the other shoe, who’s wearing it, and when will it drop?

An obviously distressed couple, Dennis and Mia (Scott Friend, Madeleine Morgenweck), head to his family’s really remote cottage for a few days of trying to heal a litany of individual and shared wounds. We gradually learn that he’s an actor whose career has tanked, largely due to the drug addiction from which he’s trying to “dry out” while there. She was a figure skater until her partner dropped her during a lift, resulting in a leg injury that has her indefinitely, if not permanently, benched. And just for another bar of soap in the opera, they’re grieving her miscarriage of what would have been their first child.  

Almost immediately, their awkward attempts to reverse their downward spirals are interrupted by an unexpected visitor. Dennis’ estranged brother Roger (Will Brill) suddenly shows up after years of total absence. He’s supposedly been on a spiritual journey that may have included time in a mental ward, emerging as a hippie-dippie, off-the-grid character who is the polar opposite of the manipulative bully Dennis claims to have shared a childhood with. Or is he? This is Mia’s first meeting with Roger, so she’s caught in the middle of their sibling issues’ ebbs and flows.

Friend also wrote and directed. His script does no favors for the character he plays, making Dennis as elusive and unsympathetic as his weird brother. Roger seems almost prescient in his insights regarding both relatives, seeming sincere and helpful, yet off-center enough to possibly have a more malevolent game plan. Dennis has trouble being truthful with Mia, piling on to her trust issues and other frustrations.

Performances are solid. Brill has the longest resume of the trio, perhaps most recognizable from THE OA and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL. Relative newcomer Morgenwek is lovely, with an ethereal appeal that should serve her well. Collectively, the three keep us engaged, despite their almost stage-like confinement to the house and its gloomy, lifeless surroundings. 

As director, Friend does well at dangling possibilities, juggling sequential moments to keep the audience unsure of what’s going on, including how much is occurring vs. hallucinatory effects of his drug withdrawal. Faceless cowled monks darting around in the woods occasionally add to the slippery footing for the characters’ realities. He also packs everything into a tight 80 minutes, which is particularly admirable for a first-time writer/director. As author, Friend wraps with some ambiguities that should provide lively post-viewing discussion fodder about what it all meant.

2 out of 4 Stars

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