Title: Bone Lake
MPA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Starring: Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Alex Roe
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

What It Is: Sage (Hasson) and Diego (Piggosi) are a couple who have booked an Airbnb for a romantic weekend getaway. When they arrive, everything seems fine—until another couple, Will (Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), also shows up. It appears there’s been a misunderstanding: two couples, one beautiful home for the weekend. Neither couple wants to leave, so it seems they’ll have to get to know one another. However, things are not what they appear to be.

What We Think: This one is definitely on the horny side—a sexy, throwback horror-thriller. It’s all about attractive people doing enticing things, but that wasn’t quite enough for me. The narrative and twist may work for some, but it left me wanting a bit more. Call me greedy, but at times it felt more sleazy and soapish, and the big reveal is something that will resonate with some viewers while falling flat for others.

One highlight, though, is how director Mercedes Bryce Morgan uses her camera to tell the story. She does an excellent job of fixating—whether on a moment, a character, or some subtle background detail, she tells the story effectively through still-life moments within the frame. The downside is that these choices rarely left me surprised. Joshua Friedlander’s script is a far cry from his intriguing directorial debut (which he also wrote), Holly Slept Over, which somehow feels a lot sexier. That said, this was decent, but it didn’t quite live up to my hopes (or the hype).

Our Grade: C, This film had potential with just a bit more polish. I will say this: it’s very fun—to an extent. Not the kind of fun I usually enjoy, but certainly in a way that others might. I can’t say I’d go out of my way to watch it if I weren’t at the festival. It wasn’t for me, and both chai and I walked out feeling pretty nonplussed by the whole experience.