Page 2 April 22, 2021
Entertainment
‘In the Earth’ is a Hallucinatory
Horror Made During the Pandemic
By Ryan Rojas for cinemacy.com
It was fitting that Ben Wheatley’s new
movie In the Earth–a horror film set during a
deadly virus outbreak–premiered at this year’s
Sundance Film Festival, as the fest itself was
virtually-held while our own world moved
through the very real Coronavirus pandemic.
In the Earth, which comes out this Friday,
even has the credit of being the first feature
film to start and complete production during
last year’s quarantine (while adhering to the
UK’s strict social distancing guidelines).
Film Review
In this regard, it’s fascinating to see the final
result of the film, which uses its own production
limitations to tell a story of a similarly
scaled-down size: that of a scientist (Joel
Fry) who teams up with a park scout (Ellora
Torchia) to head into to the woods to procure
equipment to find a cure for a deadly virus.
Of course, what they find instead is that they
are not alone, and that horrors beyond what
they can imagine lie waiting for them.
Director Ben Wheatley has balanced between
making artistically independent and
commercially-contrived films throughout his
career. 2016’s artfully absurd High-Rise delivered
a totally unique cinematic vision of
its source novel, yet is pretty inaccessible to
most audiences, and undeniably strange. On
the other hand, his most recent film outing,
Netflix’s remake of Rebecca, was a painfully
conventional and disappointing exercise.
While In the Earth does hit the expected
conventions one would expect and hope for
in a horror movie, Wheatley’s creative and
assured directorial vision remains on display
here, and perhaps thanks to the film’s microbudget
scale. The film feels more personal and
intimate, and we’re able to develop a closer
connection to the actors, which all pays off
when the film moves into its second act and
tip-toes into the nightmarishly absurd.
There are a few elements at work in In the
Earth that make this a totally daring film. For
one, the film mixes a few different sub-genres of
horror: that of a slasher hunting in the woods,
mythical folklore evil, and then surprisingly
with its ecologically supernatural horrors. It’s
an ambitious undertaking to evolve to such an
unexpected other-worldly enemy, as well as to
do so with such daring vision, as the film climaxes
into a strobe-filled psychedelic freak-out.
In the Earth is a very welcomed treat for
this year, as the world continues to vaccinate
and as we slowly move out of this pandemic,
back into the real world. It’s wild to see a
film that’s not only about a pandemic, but
one that was made during one as well. And
to also watch a movie with such a surprising,
daring and experimental vision–along with
its poignant thoughts on how we relate to the
environment–In the Earth is the best horror
of the year so far, and an appreciated warning
of what dangers lie in the woods if we don’t
remain careful.
100 min. ‘In the Earth’ is now playing in
select theaters. •
Your Neighborhood Therapist
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
I just ended a long-term relationship that I
realized was not right for me. I know it wasn’t
right for me but I worry it was a mistake
anyway. I have actually really enjoyed being
single, and I have a job that I like. Great, right?
No, it’s not great. I am also feeling pressure
to find a partner and buy a house and start
a family. But I don’t know if any of that is
what I want, and when I think it through, I’m
leaning towards thinking it might not be. But
I still feel like I’m doing something wrong if
I don’t “get with the program.” Am I messing
up my life here?
– Different Priorities, Hawthorne
Dear Different Priorities,
This should be an easy one, right? It
goes something like this: Just stop comparing
yourself to others. There is no point.
There is nothing to be gained. You are your
own person. Your priorities are your own, based
on your own unique values, your own unique
needs, and your own unique circumstances.
You should not let anyone tell you what you
can and can’t do. You should not let anyone
tell who you should or shouldn’t be. You are
the captain of your own ship. Set aside all the
noise and focus on yourself. Once you are able
to do these things, you won’t have to worry
about any of that other stuff.
Start by ignoring the TV networks, the entire
sections of bookstores, the sections of newspapers,
the magazines, the gurus, your mail, and
the advertisements dedicated to “helping” you
“improve” your personal finances.
Ignore your own friends, who despite youthful
pledges to eternal nonconformity turn
out to lead very ordinary lives that they are
quite happy with, at least according to their
Instagram feeds.
Also ignore the people you meet at parties
who ask you what you “do,” or where you live,
or what kind of car you drive, or where you
went to school, as if they were not searching
for categories to place you in.
While you’re at it, also ignore the billboards
asking you if your body is “beach ready,” as
well as the perfect bodies on the magazine
covers at the grocery store, the perfect hair on
TV, and the perfect weddings in the movies.
And don’t forget to ignore your family
members who you love and who are telling
you - sorry, I mean giving you advice - about
everything you need to do (because you’re an
adult and that’s what adults do), and by when
(because that’s when adults do it), and telling
how successful all of their friends’ children
are (as opposed to you).
Ahem. Just ignore it all, right? Easy! Just
do nothing less than tune out everything you
hear around you, even the stuff which you
even partially agree with.
Ha. No, you are not messing up your life. Like
all of us, you have bumped into a supervillain
named Comparison. Comparison often works
by presenting us with a terrible choice: “get
with the program” - doing all those things that
other people do - and he will leave you alone.
Choose your own path, and Comparison will
heckle you for the rest of your life, criticizing
every life decision you make. Comparison
never tells you that “getting with the program”
also comes with a cost - but the good news is
that you seem to have figured this out. Also,
Comparison is lying to you. He will never
leave you, or any of us, alone.
We cannot kill or defeat Comparison. Instead,
find others who share your views and values.
There are many. Talk to each other, listen to
each other, and support each other. Comparison
will always try to interrupt, but you may find
that together, your voices will drown him out.
Please write to tom@tomandrecounseling.com
or text to 310.776.5299 with questions about
handling what is affecting your life, your family,
the community or the world. Tom Andre is a
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
(LMFT119254). The information in this column
is for educational purposes only and nothing
herein should be construed as professional advice
or the formation of a therapeutic relationship. •
In the Earth.
Ryan Rojas
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Seniors
Spring Cleaning? Don’t Forget
Your Medicine Cabinet
(BPT) - With your mind on the changing
season, you may be purging closets, vacuuming
floors and washing windows - but there’s one
crucial area of the house to keep in mind:
your medicine cabinet. Every year, unused
prescriptions and expired over-the-counter
medicines clutter bathrooms, kitchen cupboards
and drawers, posing a danger to everyone in
your household. Now is a great time to clear
out this safety hazard from your home, and
do it in a way that’s also environmentally
responsible.
The Dangers of Unused
Medications
Americans are prescribed billions of
medications, but according to Research in Social
and Administrative Pharmacy, approximately
two-thirds of those pills go unused. Leaving
unfinished prescriptions in your home poses
a danger not only to children, but also to
adults or teens who may be tempted to try
the medications, or give or sell them to others.
Nearly half of adolescents 12 and over who
report misusing prescription pain relievers took
or received the drugs from a friend or relative.
Over-the-counter medications also pose a
hazard, especially to children. The CDC reports
that approximately 60,000 young children are
brought to the emergency room each year
because they accessed medicines that were
within reach or not disposed of properly. Make
sure medications and supplements are safely
stored up and away, in child-proof containers.
Check all medications, including vitamins and
supplements, for expiration dates, as expired
See Seniors, page 5
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