"Hold the Dark" is directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room) and written by longtime collaborator Macon Blair and is an adaptation of a book by William Giraldi. In it, a wolf expert (Jeffrey Wright) is sent out to find the wolf that took the child of a woman (Riley Keough). I would've been totally happy to see a movie if that was all that happens. But just like any Saulnier movie, anything can and will happen. Usually, that's what I love about his movies, but not this time.
What I also like about his movies is that they have virtually no exposition and everything is put together with pinpoint precision. Macon Blair (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore) does a very good job of balancing naturalistic dialogue with exposition but the stuff in between really feels bleak for the sake of bleakness. Perhaps that's also the fault of the source material. It sets up all these questions and in the end we don't get any answers... But that's the point. But if there's no answers to anything, what's the point of even making that point, you know?
For a two hour movie, this feels longer than it needed to be. As nice as the editing and cinematography can be, there's just so many moody shots in the snow that I can watch before I start feeling bored. And that's what it was for me most of the time. The first third of it was cool but then it takes a weird turn and nothing makes sense after that turn. Again, this is intentional, but that being said, I hate where the story goes and it feels pointless.
The performances are super heavy and one actor that stands out (in a bad way) is Alexander Skarsgård. He's trying his best but his facial expressions are so limited that he becomes boring to watch. He's good in other things like True Blood and Diary of a Teenage Girl. He just doesn't fit with the movie.
If you're a nihilist and into super bleak, depressing, violent stuff, you might find some enjoyment out of this but everyone else should stay clear.