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From Darkness
Movie

From Darkness

2024 • Unknown

Woke Score
3
out of 10

Plot

Park ranger Angelica seeks the help of her dog handler ex-boyfriend, Viktor, to search for a missing woman in a dangerous nature reserve in Sweden. The search is complicated by a disturbing myth about the Cave Banshee, a vengeful spirit from the Nordic folklore that once lured miners to their deaths in the reserve's treacherous caves. As they delve deeper into the forest, Viktor starts to question his own sanity and whether the rumored Banshee is more than just a myth. To make matters worse, Angelica and Viktor share a painful history with the haunted place. Viktor must now confront his troubled past and work together with Angelica to survive the night and unravel the mystery behind the woman's disappearance.

Overall Series Review

The film is a Swedish thriller that uses the premise of a missing person case in a treacherous nature reserve to explore a strained relationship between the park ranger, Angelica, and her dog handler ex-boyfriend, Viktor. The core of the narrative is the personal melodrama and the unresolved tension between the two leads. The mystery hints at a vengeful spirit from Nordic folklore, the Cave Banshee, but the script largely diminishes this mythological element. Instead of a supernatural horror, the movie focuses on the personal baggage and relationship breakdown, culminating in a story where one lead's sanity is questioned amidst a painful shared past and a search for missing children.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The core conflict is a personal relationship drama and a local missing persons case between two Swedish leads with no evidence of racial or intersectional commentary. Characters are defined by their professional roles (park ranger, dog handler) and personal history, not immutable characteristics or social hierarchy.

Oikophobia2/10

The film is set in a Swedish nature reserve and features a vengeful spirit from Nordic folklore. While the plot neglects exploring this local tradition, prioritizing melodrama, the national setting and use of native mythology show a foundational grounding in the home culture, not active self-hatred. Institutions like law enforcement and park services are simply the backdrop for the human drama.

Feminism5/10

The professional park ranger, Angelica, is the character who initiates the search and is the competent lead. Her ex-boyfriend, Viktor, is portrayed as the one struggling, with a slow descent into madness and an inability to differentiate between reality and fiction. The narrative's focus on "relationship breakdown" and "missing children" frames the traditional male-female pairing and family structure as a source of pain and unresolved conflict.

LGBTQ+1/10

The story exclusively focuses on the relationship drama between the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend, including a tacked-on love triangle. No evidence exists of alternative sexualities being centered, nor is there any presence of gender ideology or deconstruction of the nuclear family beyond the failed heterosexual coupling that is central to the melodrama.

Anti-Theism1/10

The spiritual element is contained to a figure from Nordic folklore, the Cave Banshee, which is treated as a myth or a potential monster. The plot largely ignores this element, shifting to human drama. There is no evidence of an anti-theistic message, nor is any organized religion, such as Christianity, vilified or even present in the narrative.