WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
In the jaws of a monster, do we find the means to tear free or otherwise be wholly consumed? It’s an understandably ominous query, and one of course we wouldn’t want to entertain. Yet, when this life we lead sends us down a path of unsettled, disorienting, and harried exposing of what lurks within or what we feel is pursuing us, can we muster the courage to confront it–or otherwise BE utterly destroyed outwardly and inwardly by the sheer weight of a past that lingers and a present that sees no hope for escape? Returning home from his service abroad, war veteran Luke (Devin Montgomery) is a man beleaguered and torn apart by demons which won’t allow him peace while attempting to ascertain exactly what remains for him in a worn-out town filled with memories he’d mostly rather forget. Can meeting a stranger named Lily (Kendall Cavener) suddenly become his outlet to release and purge the monsters within?
Next, my Mind:
Relentless, darkly haunting, visceral, and deeply, candidly immersed in the horrors that war and its consequences have on those exposed to it while in desperate need of deliverance, redemption, and healing, this new indie feature film from writer/director/producer/editor Devin Montgomery, producer Samuel French, executive producers Cathy Gardner and Curtis Gardner, plus associate producer Scott Becker carries itself with a penetrating shrewdness of purpose and volatility befitting its foundational tale of service, inner strife, loss, trying to find one’s place again in the world, the benefits of totally unexpected people coming into our lives, the necessity of mental health awareness, treatment, and absolution of mind that comes from confronting it. What I always appreciate about well-executed films tackling these issues is when it’s made clear that NONE of overcoming these circumstances is REMOTELY easy or to be taken lightly, especially in the added context here of PTSD, and it is imperative we actually stand up for and aid those suffering from it. Otherwise, the tragic ramifications of dismissing it are statistics I am so weary of hearing about.
Intelligently utilizing an intensely arresting combination of dramatic force, grounded, gritty thriller elements along with a hint of the horror genre, the narrative that sees one returning soldiers embattled mentality having to confront not only the actuality of real life again, but doing so in a hometown since gone downhill, with sorrowful memories abounding, people trying to help but resisting it, encountering the phantom of boiling over anger he’s attempting to keep in control, and the ministrations of a woman who’s also fleeing beasts of her own, it’s a lot to take in. But, that’s the beauty of character-driven storytelling as all of this is given due time to be filled out and/or explained, feeding into the grander whole in a manner that infuses the film with its emotional potency, unapologetic atmosphere, and an ultimate journey to something that, as I often state, is SO needed at the end of trials and tribulations we try to endure–HOPE and RELEASE. By the film’s finale, which is nothing short of immensely explosive and jarring yet cathartic at the same time, it’s this well-designed writing and overall production that makes the effort a total win.
Thematically, we’re taken on a path that sees scrutinies of facets such as “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, the immediate impact of reminiscing and the accompanying ghosts that travel with them–for good or ill, our disillusion about things we believed were real but only seem like fantasy, a wish, or hope, the instability and constant fluctuation of pent-up/buried rage that threatens to burst forth, having a heavily defiant attitude, complete hesitancy to accept other’s offers of help, missing those we’ve lost and the mourning that hasn’t actually happened or ended, survivor’s guilt, having no meaning, suicidal thoughts, fighting back against the figurative monsters that pursue us, and the surprising influence of someone we never saw coming, and suddenly witnessing that chance for liberation and happiness again. Plus, the sporadically repeating image of the lead character’s menacing pursuer really does add a degree of eeriness as it so deftly illustrates the terror and unease he’s experiencing.
Like many actors, I feel more so in the indie community, are doing (at least in my personal viewing experiences over the years), Montgomery steps out from behind the camera to take on the role of Luke, a troubled vet coming back to a hometown he no longer recognizes, wondering if IT has changed or has he thanks to service overseas and the figurative entity that now plagues him. Always in a state of conflict even when calm on the surface, his journey becomes more complicated yet possibly better when he meets a young woman who’s got baggage of her own and whom he soon bonds with. But, will his own specters collide with the ones she also has and derail them both? Or will their shared inward struggles end up the guide to mutual salvation? Montgomery is an image of all-encompassing, RAW, stormily combustive energy, whether showcasing apathy or all-out violence and unpredictability through his performance as Luke, also willing to give the character SOME sense of vulnerability when the time calls for it, which in turn allows us as the viewer to EMPATHIZE even more with him in spite at times of his cavalier or seemingly uncaring demeanor.
Again, this all makes total sense given the plight of his character and the situations that formed these attitudes, and how Montgomery navigates us through the tempest is truly credible and engaging. Cavener is also a tangibly formidable presence to watch through her performance as Lily, a beautiful but tough newcomer to Luke’s hometown who has an initial curiosity, then quickly developing interest, in him once their paths connect. She is Luke’s one place of refuge amidst the chaos he’s afflicted and dealing with, even as she does her level best to show him comfort in their soon revealed mutual sufferings. But, will she be able to maintain this hold and positive influence on him, or will both his still-building, barely bottled-up state of being and the sudden appearance of a monster from her past threaten to take away any chance of the pair’s joy and longing to move forward and let go. I was absolutely captivated by Cavener’s way of creating this perfect-on-the-outside-but-very-flawed-on-the-inside character that serves as an excellent foil AND compliment to Luke, as her endearing personality yet tortured soul is so well enacted through the actress.
Primary supporting roles are present beginning with Katy Hayes as Sammie, the local bar owner/tender who has been a confidant of Luke’s in the past and remains one in the present, genuinely attempting to be a voice of reason even despite his somewhat playful but really more serious resistance to it, even as she also is trying to figure what happened to her own life and the important part she plays in the town. Samuel French plays Cyrus, a complete devil of a man who arrives looking for some pay and payback from one of the town’s other newest denizens. His unruly and fiery demeanor signals both his own besieged outlook on life and a desperation to get out from under the ramifications of plenty of poor choices. The way in which French plays this unsavory individual is just fantastic, as it creates that ever-famous “character you LOVE to HATE” with ease and I know this critic was waiting and pining for some comeuppance to occur with Cyrus! As always, this is a total credit to the actor’s talents to embody evil like this.
Skeeta Jenkins is Sheriff Duhart, the town’s main lawman who also has tended to try and watch over Luke both in the past and again now, especially given the fact that Luke’s reappearance IN town doesn’t exactly being smoothly. Additional but still key supporting appearances are made by Brandon Stewart, Trey Sweeten, Brandon L. Smith, Trey Murphy, Curtis Gardner, Chris Bruza, Mark Conrady, and Phil Bohlander as well as a special appearance by Daniella Montgomery as Elle, a VERY integral factor to Luke’s story that I won’t got into any more than that, as it would venture into spoiler territory which I stringently strive NOT to travel to. So, in total, “Monsters Within” wholly and unequivocally lives up to its title, conveying a tapestry of repressed anger erupting, hurting souls being revealed, confronting one’s mental trauma becoming paramount, and the unanticipated connection with another manifesting the start of internal exoneration. May we NEVER underestimate the power of perseverance in trying to HELP others in their struggles, for it can end up being an equally unforeseen balm for us ALL.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
