Over the years of being an avid filmgoer, I’ve taught myself to find the beauty in every different type of movie; the sense of humor in spoofs is irreplaceable and I still enjoy action-packed blockbusters—even though they are cliche, and the simple genius of ridiculously-long Christopher Nolan films is incomparable.
However, there’s one genre that has yet to pique my interest. I’ve labeled science fiction as one of my least favorite because, most of the time, it’s too illogical and unrealistic to keep my attention. Unless done well, movies about aliens and monsters from other planets or dimensions are hard for me to complete.
That being said, one of HBO Max’s newest releases, though technically placed under the sci-fi category and having currently gone without the extended publicity of other pictures, is one of my favorite movies from this year.
Caddo Lake follows the two parallel stories of Paris (Dylan O’Brien) and Ellie (Eliza Scanlen). As a tragic accident leaves Paris enveloped in guilt for his mother’s death, Ellie is continually learning how to cope with the effects of her broken family. When Ellie’s sister Anna (Caroline Falk) goes missing on the marsh-like lake, a search ensues and brings the narratives of her and Paris together in a tale of time travel that proves the two seemingly unrelated characters have a deeper connection than they think.
I went into this film completely blind, enjoying the mystery of not knowing exactly what to expect. But, the sci-fi tag set my hopes for what was to come pretty low. From the opening scene to long after the credits began to roll, I became increasingly more invested in the plot style. I think part of what drew me to research the film in further detail after it finished was because the logic behind it reminded me of a movie near the top of my favorites list: one of Christopher Nolan’s earliest films, Memento, which, though the story line is unassociated, approaches the nonlinear narrative in a similar fashion; as the two accounts start independently from each other, the initial confusion disappears near the end when they converge in a singular, full-circle moment.
Most of the time, films that follow a related pattern require more than one watch to piece together every single component that goes into the rationale behind the story. There were many moments when I had to pause and attempt to make sense of where the movie was going. Being familiar with the producer’s, M. Night Shyamalan, other works, I realized that the story was designed with too many complexities that I wouldn’t be able to figure out on my own until the end when everything eventually came together.
Admittedly, the beginning half ran by at a snail’s pace, but once the mysteries of the lake’s past began to unfold and the time travel component was incorporated appropriately, I was hooked. Though the story set-up made me yawn a little, the beautiful Texas cinematography made up for it—not to mention the performances by O’Brien and Scanlen. They didn’t have a very deep script to work with, but they made it unique in a way that emphasized the plot’s complexity instead.
I wouldn’t recommend Caddo Lake for a casual, movie-night film because it requires focus and intent to grasp what the story is trying to say. But, with its sci-fi, thriller climate creating an original and engaging project, it is definitely worth a watch.
