Movie Review: ‘Gaia’

Review by James Lindorf

Imagine for a moment that our world is in peril. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction caused by the technology and pollution plaguing our planet. But instead of sending five magic rings to five special young people, she begins to plot the eradication of humans with two off-the-grid survivalists. That is the exact situation Gabi (Monique Rockman) finds herself in the middle of Director Jaco Bouwer and screenwriter Tertius Kapp’s new eco-horror film “Gaia.” Neon and decal will be bringing this official SXSW 2021 selection to select theaters on June 18th before being available On Demand starting June 25th.

“Gaia” is a slow burn with events and details playing out between Gabi’s fainting spells. To be fair, she has had a traumatic couple of days. Hurt by a hunting trap, infected by some strange fungus, stuck in a cabin with a couple of weirdos you’d change subway cars to avoid, oh and there are monsters in the woods. Everything begins innocently enough with a beautiful but rather rote upside-down drone shot. It is the first of many beautifully composed images that help keep the viewers’ attention. Gabi and Winston (Anthony Oseyemi) are installing cameras to help the forest service manage the expanse of uninhabited territory. While traveling down the river, Gabi is using a drone to explore the surrounding area.

The drone is quickly destroyed by two dirt-covered men, who at first glance would be the main antagonists trying to rid the forest of interlopers. However, Bouwer and Kapp turn the story on its head when the two men rescue Gabi once she is injured in one of their traps. The duo are father Barend (Carell Nel), a nature-obsessed zealot complete with manifesto and long-winded monologues about the evils of the modern world, and his son Stefan (Alex Van Dyk). Together the three are barely able to fend off the mushroom-infested monsters that roam the woods. Barend promises to take Gabi to safety, but there always seems to be something preventing him at any given moment. The longer she stays with him, the worse her infection becomes, leading to some exciting body horror elements and a series of increasingly trippy dreams. The biggest unknown in the film is if Gabi’s infection and her increasingly disturbing dreams are a sign she is turning into one of the monsters or if it is the only thing that will save her.

“Gaia” is a sharp-looking film capable of provoking deep thoughts and conversations about just how crazy Barend is or if his ideas have merit. It also features some quality makeup and special effects but as good as their execution and concepts may be, it seems like they ran out of them halfway through. Once we get past the initial setup, the movie appears to stall with the same events playing out in nearly identical but slightly more horrific ways. As nightmarish as the idea of being trapped and slowly consumed by a vengeful Mother Nature is, it is a big ask to have visuals and a half-baked idea to sustain the 97-minute runtime. “Gaia” gets a 3 out of 5 for its technical ability and thought-provoking premise but loses points for monotonous scares.

Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Bloody Images|Sexual Content|Some Violence)
Genre: Horror, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: Afrikaans and English
Producer: Jorrie van der Walt
Release Date (Theaters): June 18th, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): June 25th, 2021
Runtime: 1h 37m
Production Co: Film Initiative Africa