There is no end to the kind of bizarre situations found within the horror genre. Fans take delight in these perilous and often implausible scenarios, and they can’t bear to turn away as characters struggle for their survival. The Seeding is more of the same: a hapless fool winds up in a bad spot, goes up against merciless foes, and endures a heft of pain in the process. Barnaby Clay has, admittedly, cooked up an intriguing pitch, however, his feature debut also can’t escape its own glaring shortcomings.
Scott Haze‘s (Antlers) character, Wyndham, demonstrates why hiking alone in the desert is not the most sound idea. The Seeding wastes no time bringing the protagonist to what looks to be his final resting place: a giant pit with a lone cabin at the center. How exactly Wyndham ended up here isn’t clear, but he definitely knows getting out won’t be easy; a band of local youths torment him and foil any chance of freedom. Making his plight more complicated is the mysterious woman living in said cabin, played impeccably by Lyn Sheil (She Dies Tomorrow). She has become complacent with her fate at the bottom of this pit, whereas her companion refuses to surrender.
The Seeding does not warrant its near 100-minute runtime. The stretched-thin plot would, perhaps, be better suited as a segment in an anthology, seeing as how the actual product starts to drag from an early point. Not a good sign. More egregious than the pacing, however, is the conventional story that challenges neither itself nor the audience. Clay essentially telegraphs future developments and twists — the “microcosm” dialogue was appallingly brainless — rather than letting them happen organically. These obvious “let’s see if this means something later on” moments make for an unstimulating watch.
Compensating for its unimaginative storytelling, The Seeding features vexing characters. Wyndham is the least interesting of the cast; the leading man does physical torment better than emotional. Sheil, on the other hand, is afforded a more fascinating role. She hands in a multifaceted and scene-stealing performance that, while never countervailing the predictability of her character’s machinations, that begs both questions and attention. Simply put: Sheil makes the material come across as better than it really is.
Clay’s experience as a music video director plus the detailed cinematography, courtesy of Robert Leitzell (Black Bear, MGMT’s Time to Pretend), make for a good-looking film. When the story leaves little to talk about, the visual quality leaves more of a lasting impression. The sharp texture of faces and other surfaces is rare to see these days in contemporary indie-horror filmmaking; The Seeding is on the high end of what appears to be a low-budget production. If not for the Western America venue, this film sports an aesthetic straight out of rural Australian cinema (think Wake in Fight). The sunny, naturalistic exterior sheds a literal light on Wyndham’s anguish, and it’s refreshing in an age where a strive for realism can often lead to murky and unattractive films.
The Seeding is nowhere as deep as its setting, and it can’t stay on a single idea without immediately rushing off to the next underexplored one. The meandering, slow-burning pace would also be more tolerable if there had been a payoff of some kind. Everything was telegraphed too early on. Ultimately, there’s just not enough here to praise, on either an emotional or narrative level, but like some deserts, the film is nice to look at. It’s just a place no one would be advised to go, much less stay.
The Seeding premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023.
Tales from the Paulside 
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