Throughout cinema, characters have been forced to try and survive a number of terrifying situations. Trapped underground, trapped at the top of a high tower, trapped in the sea and even trapped on a ski lift – there is nary a place where these unlucky characters will not end up in some kind of sticky situation. As is obvious from the title, Quicksand finds its characters trapped in the titular quicksand and desperately struggling to break free.
Making is exclusive streaming debut via Shudder on July 14, 2023, this survival Thriller comes from Colombian Director Andrés Beltrán (Bad Days 2019, Llanto Maldito 2021) and follows couple Josh (Allan Hawco: Closing the Ring 2007, Caught series) and Sofia (Carolina Gaitan: Celia series, Encanto 2021), who are on the brink of an acrimonious divorce, as they decide to take a hike through the Columbian wilderness. Unfortunately, they are victims of a violent carjacking and so find themselves fleeing into a zone that is off limits due to its less than stable terrain. Not only is this terrain a quagmire, it is also home to a number of venomous snakes who it turns out do not like visitors.
From Prey (2022) to Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008), to The NeverEnding Story (1984) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), quicksand is a filmic device that immediately signals to the audience that anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in it is in big trouble. How scientifically factual this actually is doesn’t really matter – the thought of sinking slowly to your death as you suffocate is terrifying enough to negate the credibility of the scenario. In this way, Quicksand’s premise may actually be scarier than its execution. Of course Sofia and Josh are in a horrifying situation, however once they become stuck the film is forced to be stuck with them. Thus what begins as a reasonably paced Thriller soon becomes, quite literally, bogged down.
That is not to say that Quicksand doesn’t add extra elements of danger and interest. The aforementioned venomous snakes ensure that there is a layer of extra peril, and the aforementioned divorce ensures that Josh and Sofia have to find a way to work together and put aside their differences. Having the characters already at odds with one another rather than as a loved up couple works well and overall Sofia and Josh feel relatable (even if hiking in the wilderness is not everyone’s idea of fun).
Additionally, the Columbian wilderness makes for an interesting location and is visually appropriate tonally with its dark greens and browns. This is not a happy, bright film and it doesn’t make the mistake of trying to look like one. Quicksand perhaps grants Columbia a slight disservice as between the carjacking and the quicksand, plus a myriad of other criminal activity, it is not a place that anyone is going to want to visit.
Whilst Quicksand may have worked better as a short rather than a feature, it is still watchable and should be praised for its attempts to deliver a survival Thriller based around one of film’s most ‘fun’ traps. For this, Cryptic Rock gives it 3 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment