Descendent is a new film that initially premiered at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival before it premiered in limited theaters on August 8th and on streaming August 15th. Written & directed by Peter Cilella, the film stars Ross Marquand and Sarah Bolger. After a traumatic brain injury triggers terrifying visions of extraterrestrials and a newfound talent for drawing, a father-to-be begins to question his reality and becomes obsessed with the need to protect his family from an unseen threat.

I meant to catch this much sooner than expected, but it fell by the wayside, and it even further by the wayside after getting sick. This is the first time I have skipped out on posting something over on my Instagram page since posting every single day for about a year. I needed the break though to recover from being sick. Needless to say, this is my first post since taking a small break, and I’m glad that I got to check this out. This feels like one of those movies you’d watch during the pandemic that rarely get the recognition they deserve.

To elaborate, I am not comparing this to a pandemic movie as an insult at all. In fact, I feel like the pandemic brought out a lot of unique & original movies since all of the bigger budget movies were no longer coming out. Like Zach Cregger’s Weapons, writer & director Peter Cilella channels his inner trauma to bring out something on a grand scale that’s both visually appealing & thematically rich.

Ross Marquand is the perfect fit for the lead role. The guy has been underrated ever since his days on The Walking Dead. While the film won’t particularly expand him out to more people who may be unfamiliar with the actor, at least the film will showcase what the guy is capable of doing as a lead actor. He fully engages himself in the role opposite Sarah Bolger who he has immaculate chemistry with.

The film may require a lot of patience out of its viewers. It’s a slow burn that will leave you talking about it with other viewers, for better or worse. You can tell the film is going somewhere with its nightmarish aspect, but it also may leave viewers wanting more out of it. The film is really more of a platform that Peter Cilella uses to get something out of his mind. That’s awesome that someone got the chance to bring that vision to life. While his thoughts may be a bit on the nose at times, at least he is still able to mix personal & relatable trauma with different cinematic aspects.

Viewers wanting more horror out of the film also may be wanting more out of it, but the film manages to capture the horror tone quite well from the cinematography to the production & sound design. The visuals never look cheap and the design is calculated. The cinematography even keeps the film consistently engaging & interesting. Sometimes, films lately can rely way too much on visual effects these days. In this instance, it looks like the film understands how to utilize its budget properly to make it look & sound as terrifying as possible.

With all that being said, the way the film plays out is familiar, and sometimes, repetitive as we see a main character descend further into darkness as he doesn’t understand what real & what’s a dream. It’s clear where the film is going at times. Just as the film picks up speed, it begins to slow down. The film’s scope certainly makes it seem like it may have been better suited as a short film where the film isn’t having to stretch itself out.

As the film concludes, things begin to make more sense, but it still holds itself back from explaining everything. I personally enjoy that when a film relies on what viewers got out of it. However, when the film focuses so much on mystery, it would have been nice to get some more answers.

Overall, Descendant is one of the most creative & visually engaging films of the year lead by a masterful performance from Ross Marquand. The film can get a bit repetitive and slow at times, but it still manages you fully engaged without having to explain all the answers. Just like what the film is trying to say, that is life. We don’t always get the answers we seek, but we can at least try.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)