By Thomas Puhr
How do we get out of this mess? In his strongest (and strangest) film since A Field in England (2013) – with which In the Earth (2021) enters thematic and stylistic dialogue – Ben Wheatley follows a group of scientists attempting to reconnect with nature (via a kaleidoscopic forest) in the face of a global catastrophe. The parallels to an unnamed COVID-19 are obvious (characters reference quarantine, lockdown, social distancing, etc.), but Wheatley’s concerns extend to a dying planet with which we’ve lost touch. Spiritual and scientific dogmatism must be relinquished in favor of a heady brew of both. Therein lies salvation.
