“How could we not talk about family when family’s all that we got?”

-Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth, “See You Again” From the FURIOUS 6 OST

SPOILERRRRRRRSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE ENDLESS is the third film from directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and much like their other films it’s a tough one to pin down to a specific genre. It’s not full-on horror, or science fiction, or drama. Like the rest of their filmography, THE ENDLESS is a blend of different genres, this time with a little Lovecraft, Nietzsche, Lynch, and Linklater sprinkled on top.

A “microbudget” film, THE ENDLESS was filmed in a small town in East County, San Diego, only miles away from where the duo filmed their first film, RESOLUTION. Capturing the look of that film is important, because THE ENDLESS serves as a continuation—or maybe deepening is the better word–of the story from RESOLUTION. THE ENDLESS follows the same main characters from RESOLUTION, Justin and Aaron (Played by Benson and Moorhead), but plot-wise it doesn’t serve as a direct sequel to that film. Here’s how Benson explained the connections between the two films to Vulture in an interview from April of this year:

“There are probably like, literally, a thousand points of continuity between Resolution and The Endless if you want to look for them, but the thing is, most people haven’t seen that movie, and most people will never even know that movie exists. So, in terms of why we decided to tell another story using that setting in that world in that universe, it was more about using it as a point of inspiration for ourselves, and making sure simultaneously that it’s not so inside or esoteric that anyone can just turn on The Endless and watch it. There is no reason to make a sequel to [Resolution]. There’s no reason to use IP, but if it inspires you? Cool.”

http://www.vulture.com/2018/04/lets-unpack-that-big-twist-in-the-endless.html

Much like their first two films, THE ENDLESS is another film shot on a very small budget, but the “microbudget” nature of the film doesn’t hinder the directors in their efforts to provide a large sense of scope to THE ENDLESS. While the budget may not be big, the ideas are, and the directors provide that large scope by exploring those grand ideas. Lovecraftian ancient ones, time loops that extend as far back to the 1800’s, camera shots that lead out from–and into—an unknowable beyond. Benson and Moorhead might not have the means of a big-time blockbuster, but the ideas THE ENDLESS plays with are enough to fill a handful of them.

Also–as seems to be the trademark for the two filmmakers–even though THE ENDLESS deals in heavy sci-fi, and horror concepts, the filmmakers never forget to keep things grounded. Whenever THE ENDLESS flirts with becoming too much like a film version of a heady college course, the film reminds the viewer that the real story here is about the brothers at the center of the story, and the journey they are on. THE ENDLESS is as much about time loops, and Lovecraftian monsters, as it is about two siblings attempting to make peace with their past, and find a way forward in their present relationship.

Benson and Moorhead play the two brothers, Justin and Aaron (easy enough to remember), and THE ENDLESS picks up their story ten years after their time in a “UFO Death Cult”, Camp Arcadia, in remote Southern California. The two haven’t had an easy go of it since leaving Camp Arcadia, the place where they were raised following the death of their mother in a horrific car accident—an accident that they were also involved in, but survived. The two brothers head back to the camp after receiving a tape from one of the members, hoping that they can finally gain a sense of closure on that chapter of their lives.

Camp Arcadia isn’t your stereotypical, hippy-dippy, free-love cult. These are mostly normal, run of the mill people. The inhabitants of Camp Arcadia are the type you might come across in a local Trader Joes. Callie Hernandez as Anna, Tate Ellington as Hal, and Lew Temple as Tim round out the cast of THE ENDLESS, and all put in strong work, and never cross the line over into parody. Later in the film, after spending some time back at the camp, Aaron begins to yearn to rejoin the group, and It’s not a stretch to believe he would want to. He fits in at the camp, and it feels like he belongs with the people there.

That sense of belonging is crucial to understanding the brothers in THE ENDLESS, particularly Aaron. The two were raised without the luxury of a traditional family, and Aaron desires that feeling, which is part of the reason he’s drawn to the lifestyle on display at Camp Arcadia. THE ENDLESS is very much interested in exploring what the cult is about, why those that are there still belong to it, and why someone might be interested in joining it. It isn’t until the Aaron and Justin are separated mid-way through the film does it begin to explore some of the deeper philosophical questions at its center.

There is “something else” out there in THE ENDLESS. That force can be called God, an extra-terrestrial, an ultra-terrestrial, whatever term one wants to apply to it, but there is a being beyond human understanding that hovers over the events in the film. The central question asked by THE ENDLESS isn’t if that being exists, but how malicious that being is. That question is one that is existentially frightening in a lot of ways, and the film presents humans as the equivalent of ants under a magnifying glass for the Gods that look down upon them. The metaphysical aspects of THE ENDLESS are prominent throughout–as it explores the ideas of time loops, and unseen Lovecraftian monsters—but, for the most part, it never loses sight of the two characters at its core, and the personal struggles they try to overcome.

Those personal struggles stem from one major event in their lives: the loss of their mother due to a car accident when they were young. Cults preying solely on the weak minded has become a stereotype, but any person can be vulnerable to the tactics used by cult regardless of their mindset. In an interview with VICE, former cult member Ian Haworth says:

“The late Dr. John G Clark, who I quote a lot, said the safest people are the mentally ill. The easiest people to recruit are ones with alert, questioning minds who want to debate issues with other people. You take a strong-willed, strong-minded person and put them into a cult environment and the techniques used will break a person down very, very quickly. The smarter, the healthier the mind, the quicker and easier you are to control. It’s just one of these tragic realities”

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wd49g9/uk-cult-information-centre-interview-202

The members of Camp Arcadia aren’t weak-willed people–Jason and Aaron aren’t weak-willed either– but they are looking for the same thing many human beings are looking for: a sense of connection, and belonging. That’s not something that makes a person “weak-minded”, but rather, that’s something that makes a person human. Camp Arcadia helps Aaron especially because it gives him a reassuring sense of family, something that was robbed from him at a young age, and something that he feels his brother hasn’t been able to provide for him. Both brothers experience an amount of life dissatisfaction, and Camp Arcadia allows them to feel as if they belong to something bigger– something that they’ve never had.

THE ENDLESS is at its strongest when it is able to meld it’s high-concept sci-fi/horror ideas with its smaller stake personal issues. It’s during the films second act when the film loses its way for a short time. The two brothers get separated midway through the film, and the that’s when the ideas in THE ENDLESS (The time loops, mainly) begin to overwhelm the narrative. The film takes a few unnecessary detours that feel as if they exist mainly to tie-in events and characters from RESOLUTION, before the two brothers are reunited, allowing the film to find its feet again heading into its (slightly rushed) third act.

THE ENDLESS is a weighty film through most of its run time, but it ends in a place of optimism. The end of the film chooses to focus on the reconciliation of the two brothers as things fall apart around them. It’s an ending that finds its hope in the human qualities of forgiveness and acceptance. These are heavy times, and the monsters and concepts explored in THE ENDLESS can feel overwhelming, and show how insignificant human beings are in the grand scheme of things. In the end, THE ENDLESS chooses not to let out an impotent scream at the gods that rule it, but instead looks inward to its own humanity to provide a glimmer of hope.