Jeremy Saulnier has delivered some talked about thrillers that definitely leave an impact, including BLUE RUIN and GREEN ROOM. He makes movies that can be hard to watch, but are nonetheless engaging and powerful. The latest from Saulnier is HOLD THE DARK, which is hard to categorize for those wanting a definitive genre. It’s a man against the elements story for a bit, then a crime thriller, part mystery, and perhaps even a horror film of sorts, with perhaps shades of commentary on mental illness. Honestly, you may have a hard time trying to describe it to someone else, particularly without giving away important plot points. But of all the films I’ve seen this year, it’s one I may remember most, even if I didn’t love it.

Set about 13 years ago, Medora Slone (Riley Keough) is a woman living in the outskirts of Northern Alaska who tragically loses her son, and contacts retired naturalist and wolf expert Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) hoping he can track down and kill the wolf she believes is responsible. Medora explains her son is the third child to be taken by wolves in the area, and that her husband is coming home from the war in Iraq, so she needs to have something to show him amidst the tragedy. As Russell prepares for his journey, he begins to notice Mrs. Sloane exhibiting some strange qualities, but keeps his mind on the mission. Soon Medora’s husband Vernon (Alexander Skarsgård) returns, and the news of his child’s death ignites a violent chain of events. As local police Sheriff Donald Marium (James Badge Dale) races to stop Vernon’s vengeful rampage, Core is forced on a perilous odyssey into the heart of darkness where nothing seems to make sense, while at the same time coping with his own failings as a father.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie that grabbed me this strongly and had me utterly captivated, while also keeping me (no pun intended) in the dark about what I was watching. Jeffrey Wright is excellent as the tortured old soul that is Russell Core, a sort of weary man that could be a personification of the final years of a once great hero from pulp novels. He’s a man that’s seen a lot, but fights personal demons and failings to where you can see he just wants to fade away. He’s sympathetic, but doesn’t really want to get involved, and only helps people out of perhaps his own tragic guilt and lack of real purpose. When Medora writes to him for help, it’s after reading his book about killing a wolf, yet when she sees him arrive she notes “You’re old” as he’s but a mere shadow of the man on the dust jacket photo. Core is no hero, and doesn’t want to be, but he is a father and knows the importance of a child. Keough is fascinating as Medora, the haunted woman in need of help that is clearly dealing with more than just loss of a child, but unfortunately she disappears for most of the film after the first act, and I would have liked to see a bit more time with her and Wright’s character getting to know each other. Then again this is a mystery, and her character is one of the biggest parts of that. Skarsgård is quite good playing the disconnected Vernon, who is also hard to figure out for a variety of reasons, and Julian Black Antelope is excellent as his tortured friend who also suffered the loss of a child. The stellar cast is complimented nicely by the presence of James Badge Dale as the town sheriff, who is perhaps the most normal character in the film by the time things start to wrap up.

The movie is based on the book by William Giraldi, and very much feels like the structure of a novel more than a film. This is a production that is equal parts fascinating and engaging while also being frustrating and at times rather confusing. But it’s refreshing to see a movie with so much going on, in which after 90 minutes of viewing you’re still not quite sure what you’re watching or where it’s headed in its 2-hour plus run time. This is a movie where anyone could die (sometimes horribly) at any given second, and some of those deaths are really aggravating, but again admirable in that they’re so unconventional for today’s filmmaking, giving HOLD THE DARK a unique and special quality. It also has what is easily one of the most intense sequences I’ve seen in any movie from the past decade, one that sort of sneaks up on you too and really takes your breath away. You may not like how things are wrapped up at the end, but it will damn sure have you thinking a lot about what you just saw, dissecting the layers and trying to understand the how and the why of it all. Those looking for a neat and tidy ending will undoubtedly be disappointed, but the journey to get there is one that will likely captivate you and keep you guessing.

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