The Aviary Review: Lorenza Izzo and Malin Åkerman Lead Compelling Cult Drama

The Aviary Review: Lorenza Izzo and Malin Åkerman Lead Compelling Cult Drama

Malin Åkerman in The Aviary

Chris Messina plays a typical manipulating, egomaniacal cult leader who preaches pseudo-intellectualism to trap vulnerable people in The Aviary, a thriller with some teeth. Malin Åkerman and Lorenza Izzo play two women with different stories and perspectives as they become disillusioned by Seth’s teachings and escape into the New Mexico desert. The Aviary is an effective, compelling psychological thriller that will leave the audience guessing throughout.
Writer-directors Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite took on the challenge of confronting the insidious nature of cults. Their story does not condemn or dismiss their leads for falling into Seth’s trap, despite one of them being an ambitious right-hand woman for much of her time with him. There is an acknowledgment in both the script and in the leading actresses’ performance that there is a strength within them that has allowed them to shatter the illusion. However, persistent and robust brainwashing is hard to overcome. Even worse, trying to overcome Seth’s power when one is lost in the New Mexican desert — where the days are hot and dry and the nights are bitterly cold — is hard.
Chris Messina in The Aviary
The filmmakers play with genres and conventions to keep the audience guessing. Izzo and Åkerman, for example, play unreliable narrators. They have both been manipulated, and as is illustrated in the film, Seth’s tactics are disturbingly effective. Seth is always present with visual cues that have him appear during the day, seemingly harmless, and at night like a demon straight from the gates of hell. Cullari and Raite don’t use special effects in any usual manner; the film feels a lot less computer-generated, with much of the effects being practical. Most notable are the campfire scenes where strobe lighting indicates Seth’s brainwashing tactics.
To effectively showcase the fear and trauma Seth has inflicted on Jillian and Blair, the filmmakers needed to be innovative with their filmmaking. It isn’t enough for Blair to recount how Seth seduced her or how Jillian thought she was doing something good with her work. As is the case with many small-budget genre films, the filmmakers need to be willing to find creative ways to show their character’s mental decline, their paranoia, and the omnipresent danger that lurks all around them. Cullari and Raite managed to do all of that with what can be assumed was a shoestring budget with a small production team.
Lorenza Izzo in The Aviary
Moving at a quick pace with solid performances pushing the story forward, The Aviary is a compelling watch. An impressive one even, as this is Cullari and Raite’s feature debut. The film never concedes by giving one the answers before it is ready. While the sub-genre of cults is being thoroughly mined in both fictional and non-fictional works of late, there is a sense that the filmmakers have a strong understanding of what they are tackling.
The Aviary doesn’t radically change the game for this subgenre of psychological thrillers, but it is a solid entry. The filmmaking is effective and efficient. The performances are strong and drive home the narrative. Chris Messina does a great job playing a very attractive cult leader. The New Mexico landscape is as beautiful as it is dangerous. Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite show a strong understanding of the persuasive methods cults utilize and a great deal of empathy for those trapped within them.
The Aviary opened in theaters, on digital, and on-demand on Friday, April 29. The film is 96 minutes long and is rated R for language and some violent content.

Our Rating:
3 out of 5 (Good)

#Aviary #Review #Lorenza #Izzo #Malin #Åkerman #Lead #Compelling #Cult #Drama

The Aviary Review: Lorenza Izzo and Malin Åkerman Lead Compelling Cult Drama

Malin Åkerman in The Aviary

Chris Messina plays a typical manipulating, egomaniacal cult leader who preaches pseudo-intellectualism to trap vulnerable people in The Aviary, a thriller with some teeth. Malin Åkerman and Lorenza Izzo play two women with different stories and perspectives as they become disillusioned by Seth’s teachings and escape into the New Mexico desert. The Aviary is an effective, compelling psychological thriller that will leave the audience guessing throughout.
Writer-directors Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite took on the challenge of confronting the insidious nature of cults. Their story does not condemn or dismiss their leads for falling into Seth’s trap, despite one of them being an ambitious right-hand woman for much of her time with him. There is an acknowledgment in both the script and in the leading actresses’ performance that there is a strength within them that has allowed them to shatter the illusion. However, persistent and robust brainwashing is hard to overcome. Even worse, trying to overcome Seth’s power when one is lost in the New Mexican desert — where the days are hot and dry and the nights are bitterly cold — is hard.
Chris Messina in The Aviary
The filmmakers play with genres and conventions to keep the audience guessing. Izzo and Åkerman, for example, play unreliable narrators. They have both been manipulated, and as is illustrated in the film, Seth’s tactics are disturbingly effective. Seth is always present with visual cues that have him appear during the day, seemingly harmless, and at night like a demon straight from the gates of hell. Cullari and Raite don’t use special effects in any usual manner; the film feels a lot less computer-generated, with much of the effects being practical. Most notable are the campfire scenes where strobe lighting indicates Seth’s brainwashing tactics.
To effectively showcase the fear and trauma Seth has inflicted on Jillian and Blair, the filmmakers needed to be innovative with their filmmaking. It isn’t enough for Blair to recount how Seth seduced her or how Jillian thought she was doing something good with her work. As is the case with many small-budget genre films, the filmmakers need to be willing to find creative ways to show their character’s mental decline, their paranoia, and the omnipresent danger that lurks all around them. Cullari and Raite managed to do all of that with what can be assumed was a shoestring budget with a small production team.
Lorenza Izzo in The Aviary
Moving at a quick pace with solid performances pushing the story forward, The Aviary is a compelling watch. An impressive one even, as this is Cullari and Raite’s feature debut. The film never concedes by giving one the answers before it is ready. While the sub-genre of cults is being thoroughly mined in both fictional and non-fictional works of late, there is a sense that the filmmakers have a strong understanding of what they are tackling.
The Aviary doesn’t radically change the game for this subgenre of psychological thrillers, but it is a solid entry. The filmmaking is effective and efficient. The performances are strong and drive home the narrative. Chris Messina does a great job playing a very attractive cult leader. The New Mexico landscape is as beautiful as it is dangerous. Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite show a strong understanding of the persuasive methods cults utilize and a great deal of empathy for those trapped within them.
The Aviary opened in theaters, on digital, and on-demand on Friday, April 29. The film is 96 minutes long and is rated R for language and some violent content.

Our Rating:
3 out of 5 (Good)

#Aviary #Review #Lorenza #Izzo #Malin #Åkerman #Lead #Compelling #Cult #Drama