The Offing is a rare gem of a film. Both a psychological thriller and coming of age story, we follow two young women, both with secrets buried in the past, both struggling to find a brighter future. After setting off on a roadtrip to find a new place to call home, Neviah (Jaimie Wood) and the more worldly Freya (Isabella Mangano) soon learn there isn’t a place far enough away from inner demons. Writing-directing duo Koko Crozier and Lily Lunder tell a surprisingly insightful tale of the connection between past trauma and how it shapes the future.
We first meet Neviah at a remote farm where she dutifully toils away for the matronly Agnes (Milijana Cancar). How many times can you possibly dust a bookshelf in an empty home? Neviah seems to have found out. What’s more, she likes it. The survivor of an oppressive cult, lead by the skeevy Preacher (Andy Steuart), Neviah is happy to have a quiet, productive life away from the manipulative charms of her captor. Then the free-spirited Freya shows up and is hired to help at the farm. The two strike up an instant sisterhood and decide that farm life is not for them. With the extra money that Freya has stashed, the two head out with a truck and camper trailer for greener pastures.
This is where the story gets interesting. Initially, everything is a rose-colored dream with adventure just over the horizon. Then the friction begins. Freya is content to wander while Neviah needs structure. After getting a map the two land at a coastal campground. The eventual plan is to find work and a new home but Freya isn’t ready to put down roots just yet. Things become even more complicated when the charming Tyler (Jacob Pontil-Scala) wanders by and catches Freya’s attention. Neviah soon becomes riddled with anxiety over her choice to leave the security of farm life. With every subtle betrayal from Freya, Neviah is triggered with memories from her time in the cult. To make matters worse, Neviah is haunted by visions of a bloody murder.
What is Freya running from? What is Neviah foreseeing? Will they ever find home?
Crozier and Lunder want to tell the story of recovery and redemption for these two characters. For the most part they do. Rarely does a film so perfectly capture the psychological mechanics of a trigger response. For instance, in one scene Neviah sits at the beach watching Freya guzzle booze from a flask while flirting with Tyler. This summons a disturbing memory for Neviah in the cult, being forced to drink an “elixir” for the Preacher. Shiver inducing stuff here.
The complicated psychological drama is handled with a remarkably deft touch. That’s why it’s such a let down when the story reaches a resolution, it happens with such ease. Crozier and Lunder have a knack for translating interior turmoil. But the writing buckle when Freya and Neviah face the hard work of healing. Everything seems to happen with such logical simplicity.
Despite the abandoned character development in the third act, The Offing is a very good film supported by wonderful performances from Wood and Mangano. During the flashback scenes at the cult, Isobel Lauber handles the role of Young Neviah with a chilling intensity.
Despite a third act that soft pedals the climax, The Offing is a quietly powerful at times moving piece of work.
