Title: The Razing
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: J. Arcane
Starring: Laura Sampson Hemingway, Dexter Farren Haag, Dawson Mullen
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

What It Is: A group of young adults gather for a mysterious dinner, a tradition held in a strange hotel as an outbreak allegedly rages on outside. When feelings are intensified and fueled by paranoia and psychedelic drugs, things unravel, and the group spirals into violence and hysteria.

What We Think: This was an all-around interesting setup for a film. Everything from the premise to the characters, to the mysterious elements surrounding The Invitation-esque circumstances. There’s tons of potential in how this is filmed and edited as a psychological drama. Unfortunately, the film does suffer from being too ambitious in its storytelling, trying to push the semi-obscure dialogue on top of these elements. The tone of it feels akin to something faintly dystopian, something you’d find in a good novel, but unfortunately trying to juggle all these things in the face of what are namely unlikeable characters works against its favor. The acting is smooth and interesting, but the delivery of the story as a whole misses the mark of something that, if done with some more development and maturity, could serve as much intensity or mystery as other films ensemble-cast like The Invitation, Coherence, or even The Circle.

Our Grade: D, A cold and bleak film with interesting moving parts that don’t quite make the cut, this film is the groundwork for what could be a fascinating descent into shared madness. Otherwise, it tends to lag with slow, jolted pacing, and its characters don’t strike as full, relatable, entertaining, or well-written enough to stand on their own individually, other than its lead actress. While many of its creative choices open it up to interesting outcomes, such as split-screen edits, story elements, and dark cinematography, its execution needs some polishing.