The Endless repetitiously increases its cosmic horror through its convoluted complexity. Whenever a feature, particularly an indie flick, commences its story with a quote from Lovecraft, you just know you're in for a bizarre journey. To review The Endless' plot would be to spoil the enigmatic mystery, so apologies in advance if I rarely touch upon it. Having said that, absolute credit must given to Benson and Moorhead for comprising the film's entirety from the ground up. Impressive on such a low budget. A shame that the further the story progresses, its staying power is also lost due to its vastly convoluted plot that will leave you perplexed for a decent hour of its runtime. Two brothers who escaped a "UFO death cult" visit the campsite again after receiving a mysterious tape through the post.
Originality is the essence of filmmaking brilliance. It's so rare for modern cinema to host surrealism, mostly due to its non-marketable premise, that both Moorhead and Benson should be revered as creative geniuses. Even if, in my opinion, the plot's complexity is its downfall. Praise must be given for even attempting to convey such ambition. Lovecraftian thrills alluding to the trapped mind state of a devout religious cult member, segregated from society. Comparing the idyllic civilised lifestyle of a brainwashed member to the fearful freedom of the outside world where opportunities seem so infrequent.
Bolstered by surreal imagery, The Endless attempts to compel by sporadically implementing ostentatious breadcrumbs to unravel its absurd science-fiction premise, but its labyrinthine complexity forces other technical aspects to decrease in quality. As I said, Benson and Moorhead are multi-talented individuals. Both directing this convoluted behemoth, starring as lead actors, editing, writing, producing and providing the cinematography. But their mass involvement has meant that every element is rough around the edges. The writing often delves into synchronous banter between the two brothers that felt unnatural and often missed the mark. The writing to explain the concept? Great, if a little expositional. In contrast, the characters lack that personable touch, exhuming unusual dynamics that impossibly describe an impossible situation. The banter occasionally addresses this, but when discussing the difference between "sleeping with someone" and "going to sleep with someone", it skews the tone.
The cinematography, resembling the circular symbolism embedded throughout, was somewhat distracting. The outskirts of the camera lens being squished to force this circular vision, with the colour grading offering a pale perspective. The editing was often harsh and abrupt, cutting a scene and then randomly appearing halfway through a different conversation. And of course the disparity in concept detailing and character development meant that the third act lost a portion of its humanity that was built effortlessly in the first act. The performances however all felt realistic and allowed the concept to breathe through naturally. Always good to end on a positive.
The Endless is described as a horror. It's not. Even reaching out to its Lovecraftian roots would prove futile in the search for endless scares. It's pure mystery, with an original concept so grand that it unfortunately doesn't stick the landing. Yet I'd happily see more from these two, as I believe their efforts on all levels should be eternally praised.
