Film Review: The Dunes (2019)

Imagine how awkward it'd be if a domestic abuse counselor is actually a domestic abuser. Maybe this happens in some places, I wouldn't know. This, however, is the framing premise for The Dunes.

No, it is not a shameless sci-fi knockoff attempting to cash in on Villeneuve's upcoming Dune adaptation. This is a slow-burning thriller in which a counselor named Gerald (Barton Bund) becomes exceptionally paranoid and controlling over his ex-wife (Ann Marie Damman) and her son, who are plotting to run off to the other side of the country with her new boyfriend (Ele Bardha). What's a psychopath like Gerald to do but slowly go insane and try and murder everybody?

I only came across this film because I'm a fan of its music composer--a self-made metal artist named Klayton (aka Celldweller). The ambient electronic score he conjured up for this picture is easily its best feature--whether on its own or married with the melodrama, the music is quite haunting, and even punchy when it needs to be. Unfortunately, music alone doesn't carry a film, no matter how hard it tries.

The film offers a bland (if not outright unlikely) story with a bland presentation, amounting to nothing more than a glorified Lifetime movie. Of the handful of characters that populate this cheap affair, none of them are particularly interesting or likable--it hurts the film the most because it offers zero motivations for their actions and zero reason to care about their relationships. I'm not even clear on who the main character is really supposed to be--the film spends an uncomfortable amount of time on Gerald, whose most defining feature is being a total jerk. The film explores its theme in a listless and muddled way, padding its cast with side characters that contribute little to the story, and following characters through mundane conversations that kill the narrative momentum. It does build up to a reasonably tense climax (surprise, it's on a beach with actual sand-dunes). Even then, the conclusion might elicit an unintentional laugh rather than catharsis.

I feel as though the film wants to be taken seriously--there is gravitas, but it's without credibility. There is an attempt at style and quality, but it's without nuance. With the still and steady photographic composition and occasional punch in the editing, I can't help but to think The Dunes is trying to ape better indie thrillers that have pitted men and women against each other (such as 2018's Revenge or 2017's You Were Never Really Here--heck, 1991's Sleeping With the Enemy is a bigger hoot than this). The Dunes falls way short because its script lacks nuance--this even extends to individual lines bluntly starting the obvious, with no sense of finesse or personality. The film attempts to gloss over its shortcomings by adding edge (and I mean, if you're not immediately shocked by the sharp outbursts of domestic abuse, you will be beat over the head with ample amounts of cursing and senseless rage). There are ultimately characters to root for--your choices are a misogynist villain you want to punch, and a bunch of cardboard cutouts who are victimized.

If the film wants me to pick a side, think about these issues, and feel for them, it offers no avenue to do so. It is simply a slog to watch, and it'd be completely flavorless if it wasn't for Klayton's atmospheric score and the occasional eye-popping cut. Otherwise, it's quite forgettable at best. I'd recommend skipping this movie, but if you like dark, ambient electronic music, check out the soundtrack by all means.

3/10