Jun 20

Jun 20 Tribeca Festival movie review: 'Settlers'

Unable to return to Earth and seemingly alone on an inhospitable planet, a pioneer family struggles to survive on Mars in the sci-fi drama 'Settlers' (screening during the 2021 Tribeca Festival).

In short: Reza (Jonny Lee Miller) and Ilsa (Sofia Boutella) try to protect their young daughter Remmy (Brooklynn Prince), living in an isolated settlement on the Martian frontier - until Jerry (Ismael Cruz Córdova) arrives, claiming their settlement is not theirs.

The first act of this story could easily have taken place anytime during the very first pioneering settlements of the America. 'Settlers' successfully sets up a family, essentially alone on the new frontier. This might as well be a lone cabin in the daunting wilderness, with zero connection back to civilization. Although the chapters are named after several characters, 'Settlers' is primarily seen through the eyes of young Remmy. She only knows as much about the Martian landscape around her as her parents have told her - and it's immediately clear Reza and Ilsa are keenly aware of dangers just outside their modest settlement.

For a film set on another planet, 'Settlers' feels very small - but in a good way. The quiet film is intimate, immersed more in Remmy's reactions to her changing world. Although set on an alien settlement millions of miles from Earth, 'Settlers' is firmly rooted in the quiet, contentious relationship between its only four characters. There's a dull monotony to their existence on Mars: a lot of dishwashing and eating meals in strained silence. These quiet moments allow the scenes to focus on the characters taking in their shifting situation - their incremental reactions make their eventual dramatic turns more harrowing.

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The main issue with 'Settler's is the film's lack of clear narrative direction. What begins as essentially a space Western takes a low-key sci-fi turn about halfway through the film, with Remmy making a discovery about the world she knows. This methodically-paced story at first takes place over weeks ... then years. Relatively early in the film Jerry makes a promise to the family that comes up in 30 days. The fact that the film spans years means obviously the 30 days comes and goes - but at least the first half of the film allows the slow burn of tension to build as Remmy's tallies mark the passage of time.

The film is powered by the unknown - the fear of it and the curiosity of what lies beyond. Remmy's parents try to protect her from the harsh elements and from the truth, to protect her physically and mentally. Characters allude at the larger world beyond the settlement - these hints paint an indistinct picture of other civilizations and even life on Earth ... societies had either failed or lie on the brink of failure. This vagueness in world detail actually sharpens Remmy's overall journey - that of young woman faced with daunting threats and compromises by those around her, and even in the face of almost certain death, she pushes forward to survive.

Final verdict: Despite the film's sci-fi premise and conventions, 'Settlers' is emotionally grounded in the traumas and dangers one young woman faces living on the edge of the human world.