Significant Other (2022) - Movie Review
What do you get with Paramount+ makes an original horror movie?
A mixed bag.
Let’s discuss.
Significant Other is a 2022 sci-fi / horror / thriller brought to us by the writer / director duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. I was excited to see their names in the credits as I very much enjoyed their previous effort, 2019’s Villains. Moreover, they were working with my new favorite actress, who also starred in their previous film, Maika Monroe. Combined with the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest, this should have been a home run, but it falls flat in the third act.
The film follows Ruth and Harry as they go on their first hike together as a couple. They’ve been together for six years, but this is the first time Harry has been able to get Ruth to join him on a camping trip, due to Ruth’s anxiety. Ruth struggles with the trauma of her childhood and the abuse she suffered being in the middle of her parent’s toxic marriage. She suffers from severe panic attacks and keeps her medication within arms reach at all times. However, it may not be enough for what the couple uncovers along their journey. Something is out there, something is watching, and it’s only a matter of time until it catches up with them. Will the loving couple find a way out of their living nightmare, or will death do them part? Find out in tonight’s feature, Significant Other.
I loved the first act of this movie, and most of the second act, but sweet Jesus does it fall apart after that. Much of the explanation regarding that will be in the spoiler section below.
But I’ll sum it up, it feels like 2 different movies were shoved together. The first part is a solid, creepy wilderness thriller that could have easily been spun off into a killer in the woods murder mystery—which is what most of the trailers implied. However, the film does the exact opposite and the left turn was a little to sudden a tonal shift for myself and my viewing partner.
My viewing partner is a lot more forgiving than I am, but even she was vocally confused by the tonal shift and disappointed as the first 35 minutes of the movie is extremely good.
Maika Monroe played her role really well, speaking as one married to someone with extreme anxiety. She plays the silent, jitters so well here. Her panic attack sequences are believable, and honestly you aren’t supposed to like her at the beginning of the film. She plays multiple roles in the film and does equally well. Not a standout performance like in the recently reviewed Watcher, but still a solid performance over all.
The standout performer in the film is Jake Lacy. He plays the lovable, buffoon boyfriend well. He is definitely the one you root for in the movie. His performance was heartfelt and nuanced, especially playing off of Maika’s cold and distant demeanor.
The film is shot beautifully on the Oregon cost and they really got their monies worth here. They showcase the natural beauty in every daytime shot, and the sheer terror of the complete darkness of the woods at night. Everything is perfectly lit, and unlike most shot-in-the-woods movies, you can actually see what’s going on. When mixed with the sweeping score by the great Oliver Coates, it’s perfection.
The special effects are also outstanding. I was impressed by the various practical and digital effects. Nothing really stuck out as cheap or obvious. Everything has a surreal, yet biological bent to it which gives a sense of believability to the more fantastical elements.
I think my viewing partner summed it up best.
“It wasn’t good, but I’m glad I watched it.”
If you want to check out this odd mess of a film, it’s only on Paramount+.
If you want to read my rant about the latter parts of the film, continue below.
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Okay, what the hell happened here? This was a nice tense thriller that seemed to be going towards an evil boyfriend reveal, and a chase through the dark of the woods.
Instead we had an odd tonal shift into both comedy and ultra violence. The violence is par for the course, but the comedy felt so out of place. The film was a serious, somber exploration of not only the woods, but of the relationship between a normal person and someone suffering the effects of generational trauma—and it was working! I was on the edge of my seat until the reveal of the body cloning, T-1000 alien.
Even then, it could have still worked, if not for the horrible, ham-fisted dialogue that the alien brought to the table. He comes marching into the scene laughing and smiling, and it doesn’t come off as creepy—which I think was the goal. It comes off as amateurish and rushed. Then it gets worse when the alien feels love and somehow can’t kill the heroine because of it. Something the alien confirms would be a mercy killing as an invasion is soon to come. Nope, the love then morphs to him wanting to become her.
I have no idea what the message was supposed to be and neither did my viewing partner. We were both confused.
The film was a nice, small scale story with dynamic leads working through real world issues (that didn’t involve politics in any way—to clarify). Then it became this world-wide, save the world, invasion thriller.
I would have much preferred a killer in the woods, or the seemingly nice boyfriend snapping when his engagement is rebuffed. That would have fit the themes of the story much better.
I feel like something this off the wall had to be due to studio interference. It truly feels like they stapled on the last 45 minutes of the film from a different project.
Which is a shame, because again—this movie was shot beautifully and the score was magnificent. The acting was good to great, but the second half of that script left a lot to be desired.
