Into The Forest (2016)

In the not-too-distant future, two ambitious young women, Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel-Wood), live with their father in a lovely but run-down home up in the mountains somewhere on the West Coast. Suddenly the power goes out; no one knows why. No electricity, no gasoline. Their solar power system isn’t working. Over the following days, the radio reports a thousand theories: technical breakdowns, terrorism, disease and uncontrolled violence across the continent.

Then, one day, the radio stops broadcasting. Absolute silence.

Step by ominous step, everything that Nell, a would-be academic, and Eva, a hard working contemporary dancer, have come to rely on is stripped away: parental protection, information, food, safety, friends, lovers, music — all gone. They are faced with a world where rumour is the only guide, trust is a scarce commodity, gas is king and loneliness is excruciating.

To battle starvation, invasion and despair, Nell and Eva fall deeper into a primitive life that tests their endurance and bond. Ultimately, the sisters must work together to survive and learn to discover what the earth will provide. They find comfort in cherishing the memories of the happy family life they once shared. The natural world, art and memory sustain them. But for how long?

Into the Forest, a raw and elegant “realistic fable,” explores the beauty that can come of painful beginnings, the denial we resort to in a world come unhinged and the strength that we find when our plans for our lives have been obliterated.

Academy Award nominee Ellen Page and Golden Globe nominee Evan Rachel Wood star in the adaptation of Jean Hegland’s novel of the same name adapted and directed by Patricia Rozema. Also starring in the film are Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie, Michael Eklund and Wendy Crewson.

Director: Patricia Rozema

Script: Patricia Rozema

Cinematography: Daniel Grant

Principle Cast: Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie, Michael Eklund and Wendy Crewson

Music: Max Richter