 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Outpost • Year: 2022 • Country: USA • Director: Joe Lo Truglio • Main cast: Beth Dover, Ato Essandoh, Dylan Baker, Becky Ann Baker • Runtime: 84 minutes • Production company: What’s That Noise Films, Gravitas Ventures (distribution) • TRAILER
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If you are an avid films goer and you don’t mind much of the genre, probably you could recognize the funny face of Joe Lo Truglio in supporting roles mainly in comedies like Paul (2011), Fanboys (2009), Pineapple Express (2008), Superbad (2007), and his recurrent roles in the TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021) and Reno 911! (2003–). Despite that, for his debut behind the cameras as a writer, producer, and director he has chosen a very different path since Outpost (2022) is a horror thriller from head to toe and has not a glimpse of comedic elements.
In fact, Outpost (2022) shows the downward spiral a woman named Kate goes through after breaking up with an abusive relationship that bought her all bruised and broken. One day she said enough is enough, said goodbye to her in-home punisher, and decided to start over with the help of her best friend getting a job as a deputy forest ranger in the middle of nowhere. So, there we find the brave Kate doing her best to take the reigns of her life back together, staying in the maximum risk of fire season of the summer months, being the guardian of the outpost in charge of the preservation of the landscape.
From the very beginning of the movie, we empathize with Kate, played by Beth Dover, the real-life partner of the director Joe Lo Truglio who manages to get the best performance out of her. From the early steps of the running time, we see her transformation, from a scared and mauled fearful woman into a person who is full of pride in herself, trustful of her capacities, and focused on proving that she is not damaged goods. She wants to prove she can still be a valuable independent member of the park security and carry on with her duties like everybody else. She hates it when the others are condescending, she is there to stand by herself. We like Kate. But something evil resides in her being and sooner or later she must flip.
The movie centers on the process of losing the grip on reality that Kate goes through. From the very first moments, we can notice that something is not right, and most of the developments in the movie are very predictable. The fact that this is a very minimal story in terms of characters and that almost all the action is on Beth Dover’s character’s shoulders makes the surprise element to be diminished and the whole journey is too linear. The plot twists become something we are expecting since the early stages when Kate lands on the outpost position and the watching becomes a collection of “I knew that” moments.
Perhaps the writer and director Joe Lo Truglio pays for the inexperience of the debutant filmmaker building a story that lacks the strength to become a film to remember, but the passion in the project and the spirit displayed by the lead actress Beth Dover saves the day. Outpost (2022) is an entertaining watch, a movie that rarely you would regret giving a try, but it’s also a pretty forgettable one. Still, it’s a good effort and a thoughtful depiction of what is to have totally lost your north after a series of traumatic events.
Yes, we like Kate, we all could be Kate. So beware.
RATE: 5/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt11573276
