SYNOPSIS:
When Ryan mysteriously inherits a house from his biological father, a man he thought long dead, he and his pregnant fiancé travel to the property with high hopes for the future. But curiosity about his deceased father leads Ryan to uncover a dark family history…

Ryan Bowman (Chase Joliet) has just found out that his biological father has passed. Having had no relation with his deceased relative he is surprised to find out that the man left him a sprawling coastal home. With visions of a new future and building a family, Ryan and his pregnant girlfriend Isi (Sara Montez) set off to move into the home.

Upon arrival they are ecstatic with what they find. A coastal home, direct beach access, manicured yard, and all furnished too. It’s enough to make them ignore the odd behavior of the neighbor Bonnie (Krisha Fairchild) or the random guy that keeps showing up in their open backyard Del (Drew Powell).

As Ryan settles into his new surroundings he digs for answers about who his father was, ultimately hoping to get understanding of his own history. Digging for skeletons in the closet is never a good idea, not unless you are prepared to grapple with what you find anyway.

Writer, director Tyler Savage paints himself into a corner by making a film about a man coming to grips with the history he never knew he was a part of and limiting the world he is discovering to one spot, and few characters. The film uses a trickle of a plot and a measured march to convey a descent into madness, along the way dotting little clues here and there as to what may or may not be happening. The film has a dream like quality that slowly eases into nightmare territory nicely, yet there is something missing and that is a compelling reason to stick around when things get ponderous.This is something that David Lynch did so well for instance. When utterly baffled at what was unfolding on screen the audience is mesmerized by how cool everything was. 

To be fair, the film is never boring, always very interesting and certainly beautiful to look at but we never achieve a connection with our protagonist. This is key in making us stick around and invest in the story. Instead we are merely sticking around to figure out what happens. If we had just been given a few more scenes that humanized Ryan, given us empathy for his need for answers, we would have been sold.

At the end of the day, Inheritance is an accomplished piece of filmmaking from a talent to watch. It is a mournful meditation on the ties we can never break with our own history and how our past can dictate our future.

You can see Inheritance tonight along with writer director Tyler Savage, at the Dances with Films Festival. 

Tickets:  https://danceswithfilms.com/inheritance/