Our Happy Place makes for a good winter watch. Its snowy and desolate setting creates a sense of isolation that permeates the runtime. Writer/director Paul Bickel‘s feature is also a mindbender of a journey that leads to quite a grisly conclusion.

The film stars Raya Miles as Raya. Every day, she wakes up in the woods. As the jagged and fragmented narrative progresses, she eventually awakes in a shallow grave. She also hears the cries of tortured women. These scenes in the woods are truly hair-raising, especially once Raya eventually realizes why this keeps happening and why she’s haunted by other women’s desperate cries. Though the film hides its reveal until the final act, the clues are there for anyone paying attention. The ending won’t come as that much of a surprise.

Not only is Raya’s sanity strained by her nightmares in the woods, but she also takes care of her house-bound husband Paul, played by Bickel. He’s basically stuck in bed, attached to a breathing machine. Now and then, the film sprinkles in some details about their relationship. This includes memories of their most recent Christmas together and finding the perfect tree. Yet, at certain points, Raya has horrific visions of Paul killing her with an axe. Yet, in reality, he seems quite harmless and incapable of doing so, considering his condition. But again, the clues regarding the reveal/ending are there for anyone paying attention. Maybe we don’t quite know our loved ones as well as we think we do.

The only real solace Raya has is her friend Amy (Tracie Thoms). Because the movie is set during COVID, the two frequently chat behind screens. Yet, it’s clear to Amy that Raya’s sanity slips and slips. The friendship can’t stop Raya from sleepwalking into the woods or prevent her from becoming increasingly unhinged because of the chilling visions. While it does feel like there’s been a few too many indie horror movies lately created in response to the pandemic, Our Happy Place uses the backdrop of COVID well enough to underscore Raya’s increased isolation. The wintery setting reinforces this. The only real friend she has left mostly talks to her behind a screen. Raya’s on her own to solve why she keeps awaking in the woods.

While Our Happy Place‘s conclusion is a bit too predictable, Bickel crafted a film that makes excellent use of its setting to reinforce its main character’s increased desperation. Miles does a fine job in the lead role, playing a character whose sanity rests at the edge of an axe. This feature is a gripping watch for the winter months.