Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire's parents recruit one of the world's foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth (Leland Orser).
Writer-director Riley Stearns cited Paul Thomas Anderson's works, namely "Punch-Drunk Love", the Coen Brothers' "Fargo", Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" and "Alps" among the many works he was inspired by. To prepare themselves for the role, Winstead and Orser read the book "Let Our Children Go" by Ted Patrick and watched YouTube videos from that era of people in cults or people who had just gotten out of cults. They had both also created their own backstories for their characters based on Stearns' script.
Jon Gries has a smaller role, but it is always nice to see his smiling face. I wanted this film to be a bit better than it was. The first half was very good. In fact, the opening scene was the best part. You can never go wrong with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but there could have been a little something more here.
Writer-director Riley Stearns cited Paul Thomas Anderson's works, namely "Punch-Drunk Love", the Coen Brothers' "Fargo", Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" and "Alps" among the many works he was inspired by. To prepare themselves for the role, Winstead and Orser read the book "Let Our Children Go" by Ted Patrick and watched YouTube videos from that era of people in cults or people who had just gotten out of cults. They had both also created their own backstories for their characters based on Stearns' script.
Jon Gries has a smaller role, but it is always nice to see his smiling face. I wanted this film to be a bit better than it was. The first half was very good. In fact, the opening scene was the best part. You can never go wrong with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but there could have been a little something more here.