The Wind (4/5) – Movie Review

The Wind is a supernatural thriller with quite a few horror elements. It’s a bit of a slow burner, but it works really well if you’re ready for that. Caitlin Gerard is the absolute star of this movie released by IFC Midnight.

The Wind is a supernatural thriller that could also be described as a psychological thriller. Also, there are quite a few heavy horror elements which should satisfy most horror fans.

For me, Caitlin Gerard is the reason to watch The Wind. The story and the entire cast work really well, but she just brings it home.

If you need another reason to check out The Wind I can tell you that it’s being released by IFC Midnight. This is usually a pretty damn good sign. And this time around is no exception.

Be ready for the slow burn 

I feel that I have to mention the slow burner element of The Wind a few times. I mean, this is a supernatural thriller that takes place in the old west. The main character, Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard), is alone for large portions of the story. Obviously, this alone makes for a slower paced story.

However, let me also be clear that there are some terrifying moments throughout the story.

Imagine being all alone in the middle of nowhere. You have no car, phone or actual neighbors. So what do you do if things seem to be going a bit crazy? Or if the wind is wildly intense and practically seems to be screaming at you?!

You won’t be trapped in a boring story and the story is told through a series of flashbacks, so stay alert. You never know what kind of craziness a seemingly laidback conversation will reveal.

Caitlin Gerard is brilliant in The Wind

I can say it over and over and it still won’t be nearly enough; Caitlin Gerard is absolutely brilliant in The Wind. She carries a wild and intense story carried by both religious and supernatural elements. And it just works.

You’ll probably recognize Caitlin Gerard if you’ve watched Insidious 4: The Last Key. She was one of the nieces of Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye).

She was also in season 1 of American Crime and The Last Ship. In The Wind, she gets to show off her impressive language skills as well. Her character Lizzy is the daughter of German immigrants which means she also sings and speaks in German on several occasions in this story.

Very impressive feature film debuts

The Wind was directed by Emma Tammi and the script was written by Teresa Sutherland. For both of them, this is their feature film debut which only makes the result all the more impressive.

It feels absolutely perfect that both the writer and director of this movie are women. After all, the story is very much about the one female character. In total, there are four characters we get to know and a fifth that comes around towards the ending. But it all revolves around the one woman.

And, of course, The Wind and the vast emptiness of the prairie.

Be sure to check out The Wind if you like supernatural and psychological thrillers that really get under your skin. Also, do be ready for quite a lot of horror (and western, for that matter) elements to sweeten the deal.

The Wind is released On Demand and in a limited theatrical release on April 5, 2019.

Details

DIRECTOR
Emma Tammi

WRITER
Teresa Sutherland

STARRING
Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Miles Anderson, Dylan McTee

Plot

An unseen evil haunts the homestead in this chilling, folkloric tale of madness, paranoia, and otherworldly terror. Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) is a tough, resourceful frontierswoman settling a remote stretch of land on the 19th-century American frontier. Isolated from civilization in a desolate wilderness where the wind never stops howling, she begins to sense a sinister presence that seems to be borne of the land itself, an overwhelming dread that her husband (Ashley Zukerman) dismisses as superstition. When a newlywed couple arrives on a nearby homestead, their presence amplifies Lizzy’s fears, setting into motion a shocking chain of events.