NZIFF 2020: The Long Walk

An old man (Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy) finds his way back in time and tries to prevent the death of his mother, However, every time he returns to the present, he finds himself in a new present, one with its own surprises... and terrors. 

The above is a terrible plot summary, but I am willing to sacrifice it since this movie deserves to be seen with almost no knowledge.

I picked this movie without knowing that much about it, other than it was a Laotian time travel movie. And it turned out to be a wonderfully twisted surprise.

Written by Christopher Larsen and directed by Mattie Do, The Long Walk exists somewhere between time travel and a ghost story, as our protagonist seeks to fix an event in his past, while being haunted by the restless spirits of the departed.

Considering the film is set in the future, it is a joy at how effortless it is in introducing the viewer to the world. Taking the various genre components on their own, it would be so easy to see a version of this movie that was weighed down with exposition (particularly a Hollywood version). 

The story is almost entirely visual, yet without any obvious stylistic signifiers to identify the shift between past and present. The filmmakers trust that we can put together when something has changed, and I never felt confused or discombobulated - only when that is the intended effect.

Anchored by the minimalist gravitas of Chanthalungsy, the film is quiet and increasingly unsettling. I would not call it a horror movie, although there are horrifying implications and some disturbing imagery. 

The central conceit has elements which have been done before, but here it is accomplished in a quietly devastating way, that leaves almost everything up to the viewer.

The Long Walk is one of the most surprising and enjoyable experiences I have had at the movies this year. I just wish I could have been in a theatre to enjoy it.

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