Warning: The below movie review of Those Who Walk Away contains mentions of sexual assault, child molestation, and trauma.
It's never an easy task to create a film about sexual assault, and it's even harder to do when the subject of this trauma is a child. Although revealing this aspect of Those Who Walk Away is a spoiler, it's best to know this fact before viewing it to appreciate its subtly. When making a horror film on sexual assault, it can be tricky to decide how much -- if at all -- the film will depict on-screen. What's refreshing about Those Who Walk Away is how it deftly navigates the experience, drawing attention to the trauma without ever exploiting it for thrills.
Those Who Walk Away opens like a quiet, low-budget indie dramedy. At first, it feels like the viewer is settling in for some Joe Swanberg-style mumblecore, centering on a young man named Max (Booboo Stewart), who is struggling to find his path in life. Recently, Max left the side of his terminally sick mother because its pressures became too much. It doesn't take long for him to find a dating app match with Avery (Scarlett Sperduto). She takes him on a fun-filled night with shots and a tour of a haunted house that quickly welcomes Max into its terror.
To Stewart's credit, the soft-spoken nature of Max is incredibly charming to watch on-screen. Audiences won't find it hard to root for Max's decision to have a little more joy in his life and make likely some bad -- but expected -- 20-something decisions. Likewise, Sperduto's Avery is appropriately shifty and compelling to watch. However, Robert Rippberger's script feels so much like a relationship-centered dramedy for its first act that its shift into a more horrific direction might be jarring for some viewers. Although its horror premise -- a daring but awkward date to a haunted house -- is entirely believable and well-played, it'd likely flow better if we spent a bit less time with the pair's aimless conversations. There's already an element of mistrust when first meeting people -- especially on a first date -- and trusting that mysterious setup more would have served the film's horror reveals better.
Despite that, Rippberger's directing overall provides enough twists and turns to make up for a slow start. Impressively, this one-shot film displays some truly unique ghostly visuals with inventive practical effects that (literally) ooze on-screen. Once the trap is set, both the directing and Stewart's acting soar. Each room of the house is lovingly rendered with eery details -- thanks, in part, to the film's clever production designer Sonia Foltarz -- that slowly reveal the house's sinister secrets. Although the Descendants franchise star is not known for his guttural screams, horror directors should take note of his uncanny ability to mix rage with fear and vulnerability.
But the best part about Those Who Walk Away is how it flips the script on the ways these kinds of films often tackle sexual assault. Yes, we do see a survivor in pain -- and others in pain as well -- but the film doesn't linger on that one-note. It's more concerned with putting its lens on the viewer. This isn't a horror film yet again discussing whether or not to believe sexual assault survivors. This is a film that's asking, "Once you do know, what are you going to do about it?" There is no easy answer to that question, and thankfully, the film knows this too. Once this truth touches you, it'll linger -- and the film finds an inventive visual way to illustrate this idea as well.
In that light, it's fair to say that the light-hearted and brightly lit beginning of the film works well as it lines up with Max's and the audience's ignorance. However, Those Who Walk Away finds its footing when it lets go of its awkward date setup and descends into its world's shadows and darker truths.
Those Who Walk Away is playing now in U.S. theaters and is available to stream on VOD.