MAX’s Caddo Lake, released today, is a thriller directed by Logan George and Celine Held, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. The film centers around an 8-year-old girl, Anna, who disappears on the lake.
Editor’s Note: There are spoilers below. Read at your own risk.
The film has two separate storylines as the film starts; one led by Dylan O’Brien’s Paris, and one with Eliza Scanlen’s Ellie. As the story unfolds, twists and turns lead you down a path of a story you never expected, connecting the storylines in a surprising way.
The trailer does a good job of concealing what the film is about; time travel. While many films get lost in a puzzle of time travel, Caddo Lake manages to keep it interesting enough to keep the audience engaged, but also unravel points at just the right time to have the audience start connecting the dots on how everything is related. The first time we see Eliza time travel almost reminded me a bit of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but it took on a whole new world of its own. This film had the chance to go down a lot of paths with time travel, but they made it easy to follow and kept it relatively simple so as not to confuse the audience.
Caddo Lake is visually stunning, and taking place mostly outdoors, they made the lake beautiful and eerie, and a character all of its own. The film was wonderfully shot, and there were specific scenes I loved due to the continuous movement with no cuts. They made subtle differences in changing the timelines, and it was enough to know when it changed time periods but not enough to make it tacky.
While Dylan O’Brien is no stranger to the thriller genre (Teen Wolf, anyone?), he gives a stunning performance here as Paris. His southern drawl is authentic and charming, and he sells every single scene he’s in, unable to draw your eyes away from him. You really end up connecting with Paris and feeling for him and his journey. He’s a perfect lead for this film (and any film, truly) and he really showcases his acting skills here.
Eliza Scanlen’s performance is also captivating. Eliza carries so much emotion throughout her performance, whether it’s dealing with Anna or her mom, Her emotions are so readable across her face and really brings you along the journey as she starts to unravel all of the mysteries surrounding Anna’s disappearance and her family.
The cast was also rounded out with great performances from Diana Hopper, Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Caroline Falk, and Sam Hennings. The chemistry between all of the cast was palpable.
I do almost wish that the film was a series; there was so much more left to explore with the different family dynamics and timelines — but I guess that’s a sign of a great film, leaving you wanting more. The ending may shock most of you; and while I won’t spoil the ending, I was a bit disappointed in the choice, but I also understood why it had to happen. Overall, it’s a great thriller, arriving just in time for spooky season.
Let us know what you think of the film and the ending! Check out Caddo Lake now on MAX, and stay tuned for our interview with Dylan O’Brien.
