[Film Review] The Seeding (2023)

I love horror films set in the daylight. Sometimes stark, dry sunshine can be more chilling than darkness, and even more so when combined with the lonely expanse of a desert. Barnaby Clay’s debut feature film, The Seeding (2023), takes these elements and asks us to contemplate what it would take to survive in that environment, and what kind of people might thrive there.

Scott Haze plays Wyndham Stone, a man much more at home in the city. When we first meet him in The Seeding he is arriving by car for a hike across the arid Utah landscape with his camera, apparently ready to snap a solar eclipse. It’s never explicitly stated whether he is doing so for work, study or simply a change of pace, but he clearly marvels in his surroundings; the geology, the sparse plants and the eclipse. Then of course, while hypnotised by natural beauty, Stone follows a lost child and walks into a trap; walking, and walking, away from cellphone reception and away from his car.

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So I’m sure you realise that right from this peaceful introductory segment, The Seeding led me to expect cliché after familiar cliché. Thankfully, that didn’t last long; and just as Stone had been led well out of his comfort zone, and rapidly had no idea what was going on, so I couldn’t tell what was going to play out in front of me, either. In fact, it steadily became more satisfying: a film which lets me think what is going to happen, and then takes another turn. I’m not referring to thriller-style twists (The Seeding is much more patient than that); in fact, Clay (writer as well as director) openly declares his setting to be a messed up one with a blatant horror-shot of an infant, shamelessly foreshadowing the film’s ultimate theme. We know Stone is out of his element, that he’s heading into a trap (the opening really gave me The Hills Have Eyes shivers), and that a child or children will be involved… but nevertheless, despite knowing the film’s fundamental framework, it still held surprises and especially tension.

Believe it or not, a film that looked so predictable early on somehow blended backwoods horror with folk horror and an almost fairy-tale style cautionary tale (yes, it is that simplistic); and it works. While watching, I was impressed at how I was kept continually on the edge of my seat, even yelling out once; but when I look back afterwards, I’m more impressed at how the story avoided settling into one essential model.

When Stone arrives at his trap, the setting for the majority of the film’s duration, there is no way to guess what or who he will find there; it is such an unexpected and baffling sight. Yes, I did actually type “site” at first, unconsciously: the location is remarkable. It’s a deep, almost oval crater, nestled amongst desert canyons, and with a cosy-looking shack at its centre. He is welcomed inside by a young woman (Kate Lyn Sheil, who I adored in She Dies Tomorrow), somehow both quiet and strangely hospitable. Less welcoming is the group of boys who fling torment down from the plains above. Is she their captive or their Snow White? Bewitched, or a witch? No matter what or who these people are, Stone finds himself in the middle of a bizarre dynamic which becomes steadily more threatening.

Sheil’s Alina is open in her manner, unguarded, unafraid of anything; yet very closed in her communication, saying almost nothing unless there is a clear purpose or benefit for her. Sheil herself seems a perfectly natural fit in the role, just as Alina does in her setting. Her character pulls off a couple of the surprises I mentioned, including one scene where she lets rip in rare anger and pain at the desert boys. The acting and writing alike in her character are so seemingly authentic that I can’t help wondering whether she was modelled on someone real; a feeling compounded when I read “the director dedicates this film to… all the mothers out there. You are the power and the glory.” Scott Haze’s performance is equally strong: he has an expansive arc in comparison with his troubled role in Antlers, going through denial, frustration, acceptance and into anguish and farther.

OK, so you’ve got the message by now that I liked the writing and the characters, but I somehow doubt those would have stayed with me quite so stubbornly if it wasn’t for Robert Leitzell’s frankly jaw-dropping cinematography. From the expanse of his landscapes and skyscapes and the claustrophobia of his canyon close-ups, every picture reflects what our lead is going through. Images come back to me after I watch a film, but it’s often music that strikes me during it; and in the case of The Seeding, we have composer Tristan Bechet to thank for that music, more sensation than melody. (That said, some of what made it “my kind of music” probably came down to the “Drill and additional sounds”, though unfortunately the name credited passed by my eyes too quickly.)

Yes, I liked The Seeding. There are bound to be those who are unsatisfied with it; indeed my Mum would have said it had “a bit of an odd ending”, as although we know what is going on by the end, we can only speculate as to why. Discussing theories with mates can be part of what makes a film rewarding, mind you, and this one will spawn many conversations, not least about the themes at its core. Barnaby Clay has a lot to say here about societal priorities, about the dual need to survive and reproduce, about gender roles and tradition. I’m not entirely convinced I agree with the film’s angle on those topics, but it was captivating and thought-provoking nonetheless. Watch out for the film (and the name Barnaby Clay), and see what it says to you.

The Seeding premiered at Tribeca Film Fest on 11 June 2023.

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