‘Children of the Pines’ Review
Stars: Kelly Tappan, Richard Colm-Lee, Sylvie Mohr, Vivian Hunter, Ryosuke Sekoguchi, Vas Provatakis, Joshua Morgan, Mateo Taylor, Donna Rae Allen, Madison M. Bowman, David Raizor | Written and Directed by Joshua Morgan
As Children of the Pines begins, a voiceover tells us, “Sadness will ground you in ways that happiness could only dream of doing.” The person telling us this is Riley (Kelly Tappan; The Heiress and Her Three Princes, Snuff Queen), who left home to get away from her father John’s (Richard Colm-Lee; Karen Doesn’t Dream, The Canfather) drinking and anger issues and hasn’t been back since she left to attend college.
But now he has apparently gotten his act together and quit drinking, so she agrees to come home at break to visit with him and her mother Kathy (Danielle J. Bowman; Where the Land Meets the Sky, The Curse of Abigail Proctor). Her parents are preparing for this with the help of councillors Lorelei (Donna Rae Allen; Bottom of a Glass Blues, End of the Road) and Leon (David Raizor; Last of the Grads, The Witness Protection Program). The fact that seem not just fake as hell, but distinctly shady, doesn’t seem to bother them at all. This is something we’ll see later in the film as well, in a more disturbing manner.
Writer/director Joshua Morgan (Blake Buried a Body, Bumper to Bumper) wrote the script at 17 and directed it a year later, which is an impressive achievement in and of itself, and I was interested to see if he had a new spin to put on the familiar starting point of the protagonist ignoring her instincts and returning to a home full of less than happy memories to try and effect a reconciliation.
And he does give Children of the Pines’ plot a few interesting twists, starting with Riley running into her ex-boyfriend Gordon (Vas Provatakis, V/H/S/Beyond, Hollywood Hopeful) only to find out he not only now works for her parents but refers to them as Mom and Dad. Once she gets home, her mother tells her that John is out with the kids, even though Riley is an only child, and won’t offer any explanation. It’s all very odd and mysterious, even if the viewer can guess that Leon and Lorelei have something to do with it, even before the flashbacks that reveal their counselling is a front for a not-so-benevolent cult.
While the film’s cult aspect is creepy, the lack of background or explanation for it and its activities poses a problem, especially in the last twenty minutes or so when Riley’s parents attempt to forcibly induct her, complete with what are supposed to be her and Gordon’s children.
If you’ve seen David Cronenberg’s film The Brood, then the plot, especially in the last act, may make a bit more sense, as there seem to be several parallels between it and Children of the Pines, both thematically and visually. Granted, it could also simply coincidence, though if you are going to be influenced by a film, you could do a lot worse. But even if there is meant to be a link, there’s still a lot that is left unexplained, especially with this film’s ambiguous ending.
On the technical side of things, Children of the Pines comes off quite good, with some nice cinematography by Ben Bach (Why Dig When You Can Pluck, Millionaire Man) and an effective score from Sune Rose Wagner (Tapioca, Sex, Drugs & The Raveonettes). Effects are limited to some blood splatter from off-screen killings.
Overall, while it’s not entirely successful, Children of the Pines is an interesting film that’s worth a watch if you’re looking for something new. It’s also a promising debut for a young filmmaker who, with a bit more experience, could have a bright future ahead of him.
*** 3/5
Freestyle Digital Media have released Children of the Pines to Digital and VOD Platforms.
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