SLASH THE TROPES // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE RETREAT"

BY MATEO MORENO

THE RETREAT follows Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) and Valerie (Sarah Allen) are a couple heading on the road for a weekend getaway trip, staying at a friend's cabin in the woods, right smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Although they are excited to be taking the trip together, it's clear that they are at two very different paths in the relationship. Valerie is ready to take that next step together and talk about the future, while Renee is at a standstill. She's afraid of commitment, and it seems that this weekend is going to finally bring these issues to a head. However, the weekend has far more sinister plans: After they arrive at the cabin, strange things begin to happen. The friends who own the cabin are missing. Their car disappears. Someone is watching them in the woods. Although this was intended to be a stress-free getaway, it quickly becomes clear that their stay has morphed into a twisted game where there's only one thing to fight for: survival.

Though THE RETREAT isn't reinventing the slasher/horror wheel, what it does do is present a very sharp and well-made thriller, one that immediately challenges the troubled "kill your gays" movie trope. The image of a lesbian couple swinging weapons and taking the hero seat is a powerful one and throughout the running time, we are treated to a killer (please excuse the pun) film that challenges stereotypes and takes on the way lesbians are seen in the horror genre, flipping it on its head. Tommie-Amber Pirie and Sarah Allen are both equally strong, turning in performances that feel lived in and real while rising to the occasion when pushed into the fight or flight. First, like most horror movies, they try flight, but when it becomes clear that these hunters aren't backing down, the couple takes a grip and goes into fight mode, creating quite a thrilling second half. The villains are a bit one-note and though you understand why they do what they do, you never are meant to understand them (it's also a little surprising to see perhaps the biggest star of the film, Aaron Ashmore, in a pretty one-note role). That being said, it ain't their story: it's Renee and Valerie's and both writerAlyson Richards and Director Pat Mills have succeeded in creating a very worthwhile entry into the modern horror cabin in the woods library, blending it with a very clear social commentary that strikes just the right balance.

GRADE: B

WRITTEN BY Alyson Richards DIRECTED BY Pat Mills STARRING Tommie-Amber Pirie, Sarah Allen, Aaron Ashmore, Rossif Sutherland, Celina Sinden. NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATRES AND ON VOD.