CADDO LAKE (MAX) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: When an 8-year-old girl disappears on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, altering a broken family's history.

MOVIE REVIEW:

M. Night Shyamalan returns yet again in 2024 to lend his name to this twisty thriller starring Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner, Love and Monsters).

The story is set in the bayou area in Texas. Paris (O’Brien) is a young man who loses his mother in a freak accident. He survives the same accident while his mother died and subsequently, Paris lives in guilt while at the same time searches for the real reason that causes her to drive off the bridge.

Another Lake Caddo resident, Ellie (Eliza Scanlen), a rebellious, troubled young girl who is constantly fighting her supposedly abusive mother, Celeste (Lauren Ambrose) has to search for her beloved, step-sister, Anna (Caroline Falk) who goes missing on the lake.

So what does this two seemingly unrelated narratives got to do with one another?

Apparently a lot.

Celine Held and Logan George who wrote and directed Lake Caddo pulls off an intriguing mysterious tale that in some ways surpasses even the master himself, M. Night Shyamalan. No doubt, it’s overall a slow-burner. The narrative takes its time to develop the two main characters such as Paris’ constant dwelling in survivor’s guilt mode and Ellie’s insistence on getting away from her step-family. It can be easily dismissed as a drama involving family trauma and complex human personalities but trust us, it’s more than just that.

Without wading too much into spoiler territory, there’s a time portal residing in the middle of the dried up, creepy bayou, an unexplained time travelling device that takes you from 2022 to 2005 to even 1952. Like any good old time-travelling tales, the jumpy timeline can be a tad confusing at first. Fortunately, the bulk of the movie focused mainly on Paris and Ellie, making it an engaging affair to sit through as layers of truth are peeled off as the movie goes.

O’Brien and Scanlen are incredible, delivering stellar performances to keep the audiences invested. The picturesque beauty of Caddo Lake also adds to the viewing experience. Truth to be told, Lake Caddo is a piece of superior work that works beautifully with its subtle themes of mystery and sci-fi without relying on flashy CGI and rickety supernatural occurrences. It does take a bit of patience for the final unravelling and the convoluting plotting might turned away some viewers. However, there’s much to enjoy and the final emotional payoff added extra brownie points to the whole affair.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee