A young couple takes a remote backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest, but things take a dark turn when they realize they may not be alone. A film by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen, starring Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER
Dan Berk • Robert Olsen
(2022)
An unidentified flying object breaks through Earth’s atmosphere and lands behind a mountain. The perspective then shifts to ground level as the camera glides through the woods, giving us the unsettling feeling that we’re seeing through something else’s eyes. A deer picks up the sound of dry leaves crunching and freezes, its gaze fixed on where the noise is coming from. Suddenly, a mysterious tentacle strikes from behind.
Later, Harry (Jake Lacy) drives his girlfriend Ruth (Maika Monroe) to the same mountain for a hiking trip on Red Ridge Trail. On their way, they stop at Bigfoot’s Burger Shack for food, where they meet a boy named Jimmy (Loudon McCleery). He looks worried and unsettled as he whispers to them, asking if they saw a red star falling from the sky.
Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain where the Red Ridge Trail begins, the film reveals that Ruth is never fond of mountains and prefers the ocean. Despite Harry’s enthusiastic reassurances that he’s hiked this trail four times and that it’s completely safe, Ruth remains visibly nervous. He even argues that driving to work or surfing in the ocean carries more risk than this hike. Eventually, she reluctantly gathers her courage and agrees to go through with the trip.
As they walk along the trail through the forest, Ruth feels like she’s being watched. She stops and turns around to see if someone is behind them, but there’s only an empty trail and a seemingly quiet forest, as if they’re the only people there. Ruth dismisses her uneasy feeling and continues down the path. In the distance, a shadowy figure emerges from the woods. Someone, or something, is following them.
On the first night of camping, Ruth is startled when she hears rustling nearby. She immediately grabs a lantern to see what’s making the noise in front of her. In the darkness, Ruth spots a deer standing motionless, staring directly at her. Suddenly, Ruth is spooked by Harry, who comes looking for her after noticing she wasn’t in the tent. When Ruth tries to show Harry where she saw the deer, it has already vanished.
The next day, Harry surprises Ruth by leading her to a secret scenic spot overlooking a cliff, where they can take in a panoramic ocean view. Unbeknownst to her, he’s planned to propose. Caught off guard, when he gets down on one knee, Ruth has a panic attack and rejects Harry’s proposal.
The next morning, Harry takes a solitary walk to clear his head. While alone, Ruth notices a tree stained with a strange black substance. Moving closer to investigate, she discovers a deer carcass covered in the same mysterious material. When Harry returns, he examines the dead deer closely and suggests the black substance might just be deer warts which are usually benign. Despite his explanation, Ruth can’t shake the feeling that whatever killed the deer is still lurking nearby.
Deer warts, also known as cutaneous fibromas, are non-cancerous, wart-like growths that appear on the skin of white-tailed deer and other deer species. Caused by a deer-specific papillomavirus, these growths usually look like hairless, black, gray, or brown lumps that can range in size from less than half an inch to over eight inches in diameter. They often develop on the head, neck, face, or legs, and may appear singly or in clusters. Although they can look alarming, deer warts are generally harmless and do not affect the animal’s health unless they become so large or numerous that they interfere with the deer’s ability to see, eat, breathe, or move. The virus spreads through direct contact or biting insects, especially when the skin is broken. Fortunately, these warts are specific to deer and cannot be transmitted to humans or other animals. In most cases, the deer’s immune system will eventually clear the infection, causing the warts to disappear on their own.
The next day during a morning stroll, Ruth spots a marigold bush, wildflowers that Harry had jokingly called “piccadilly sweet rose” earlier when Ruth made him identify a picture of them after he claimed to have the entire Wilderness Survival Guide memorized.
As she turns away from the flowers, a cave entrance catches her eye. She notices some glowing blue substance at the entrance. Intrigued, she follows the glowing blue trail inside where she finds a shallow pool of shimmering blue liquid.
Written and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, SIGNIFICANT OTHER is a compelling sci-fi thriller that follows an unmarried couple on a hiking trip through a mountainous forest. What they don’t know is that an extraterrestrial creature has crash-landed in the area.
Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy deliver great performances. I loved the script, which cleverly plays with our expectation. Early on, we see a red object fall from the sky, and soon it becomes clear that an alien is lurking in the forest. One of the couple is attacked by an unseen assailant (presumably the alien), but the film keeps us guessing about which one might have been replaced.
The first half leans into thriller territory, building a sinister vibe as we question the alien’s true intentions. While some of the setup feels a bit formulaic, the breathtaking landscape cinematography helps keep it engaging.
I found the second half unexpected and entertaining as the narrative shifts into dark comedy in a way that’s both hilarious and memorably unique. Though I was a bit disappointed that the protagonist refused the alien’s once-in-a-lifetime offer to travel beyond the stars, choosing instead to remain on Earth despite its impending doom.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER was released on Paramount+ on 7 October 2022.
