“Anacoreta” is a movie about attempting to make an experimental horror movie. I can’t discern any horror or mockumentary flavour to it. I attended the 65th Annual Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece in early November 2024 and watched 23 movies and posted reviews on 20 of them in 10 days. Three of the films were about making a movie about making a movie. The standout was Christos Massalas’ “Killerwood”. Its excellence was based on never knowing what was scripted by the director making the film and what was real. A fine line of thrilling uncertainty.
In “Anacoreta” unsuccessful film director Jeremy (Jeremy Schuetze) motors off to his late grandfather’s cabin in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia with actress- girlfriend Antonia (Antonia Thomas), brother Matt (Matt Visser) and his girlfriend Jesse (Jesse Stanley) with a goal of making an experimental horror movie and a cameraman and soundman accompany them.
Jeremy attempts the injection of a mood of horror amongst the “cast” by planting a dead cat in the freezer and the like incurring the displeasure of his brother and the ladies. Given the attempts at fear induction any possible horror appears implausible.
The issue with the film is knowing what is supposedly real is probably scripted. It is a tiresome endeavor trying to make the distinction and should there be any attempt at real horror its genuineness is heavily if not completely discounted by the knowledge the film is about making a film as opposed to a pure horror film.
Another take is “Anacoreta” is a chronicled snapshot and a bickering disaster on the life of an unsuccessful film director who lacks the respect of his brother and their girlfriends. A sad story of a director failing miserably making a horror movie. Hoping not to confuse you may I suggest you watch this snail-paced Canadian film directed by Jeremy Schuetze.
21February2025 VOD/Digital release.
RKS 2025 Canadian Film Rating 59/100.
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