While Teresa Sutherland‘s directorial debut opens with a quote (“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul“) from the Father of the National Parks himself, John Muir, the title of Lovely, Dark, and Deep comes from Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening:
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep...”
Regardless of the text she feels most inspired by, Sutherland’s attempt to visualize the almost indescribable feelings of dreams and nightmares is estimable, not to mention accurate on occasion. If the poetry and musings don’t provide enough basis for surreal terror, the foreboding sign posted by a park ranger at the film’s start will (“I owe this land a body”).
From the beginning, Lovely, Dark, and Deep is detached from reality. Barbarian star Georgina Campbell is driving through a forest in the middle of the night when her headlights reveal a deer in the road. The animal stands eerily calm in the yellow glow, unafraid and unaware. Yet like a noise that stirs you awake, static noise from the car radio ends the dreamlike moment. The deer is gone.
The story moves on to Lennon (Campbell) being assigned the role of park ranger at a remote outpost. Despite the presumed isolation that comes along with her job, she runs into her neighbor from the next station, another ranger named Jackson (Nick Blood). It’s clear Lennon doesn’t appreciate the company, although her wish for solitude is granted soon enough. The peace she sought in the first place is progressively becoming laced with fear.
Lennon’s choice of occupation is not incidental; she picked this job to help her cope with her troubling past. And once Lennon gets involved in the search and rescue of yet another missing park visitor, her trauma becomes viscerally clearer with every inch of this waking nightmare.
Sutherland, the writer for the horror-western The Wind, taps into the dangers of nature without resorting to man-eating fauna or backwoods killers. She grounds her story despite the phantasmagorical execution of the film’s backend. With every step of Lennon’s perilous hike, Lovely, Dark, and Deep transforms into a perplexing and challenging study of its protagonist’s psyche. Her seclusion has turned sinister, and repressed memories rise to the surface at the most inopportune time and in the most hazardous environment possible. Sutherland’s knack for manifesting personal demons and pain in tandem with one’s surroundings is impressive, especially in her first film as a director.
From a visual standpoint, Lovely, Dark, and Deep does not let the forest do all the heavy lifting, despite how easy that would be. Sutherland pays attention to the design of the trees, the hills, and other organic parts of the park as Lennon wanders in and out of her subconscious. As Campbell’s character is faced with her trauma, the film shows a variety of living spaces that are as familiar as they are daunting to Lennon. She gets lost in herself, and the audience is trapped with her. There is nothing exceedingly frightening about these glimpses into Lennon’s head, but they are presented in an ominous and often sad manner.
Relating to mood and atmosphere, Lovely, Dark, and Deep is a success. The film captures both the natural splendor of the forest as well as its mystery and secrets. Georgina Campbell’s character ends up being a wonderful companion for these woods, seeing as Lennon is also somewhat of an enigma. The film loses a bit of its footing in the last act, yet Teresa Sutherland’s complex and intense debut remains the stuff of nightmares.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep had its world premiere at Fantasia Fest 2023.
Tales from the Paulside 
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