Everyone is a mess in some way or another. Some people are just better at confronting the messy parts of themselves than others. But what if your very survival required you to reflect on why you are the way that you are? Could you do it? The answer may not be as easy as you think.

Reflect follows five young women into the desert in Sedona for a spiritual retreat meant to bring them closer to each other and themselves. Unbeknownst to them, however, the retreat doubles as an interdimensional game show that they’re the latest contestants on. The lead character’s rather off-the-wall theories about the universe may not be so farfetched after all.

This film is a weird one. It tries to be funny and deep simultaneously, but in a way that leaves me wondering what I’m supposed to be feeling at any given moment. The characters are kinda terrible to each other, and most of them don’t get what they deserve. I was uncomfortable most of the time, but not in a way I was probably supposed to be.

One of the biggest problems I have with this film is the same problem I have with Cabin in the Woods – it gives the game away way too early. A hill I will die on vis-a-vis Cabin is that the opening scene kills the suspense. We know right away that something atypical is going on – that the gears of a grander plot are turning behind the scenes. The same thing is true of Reflect. The interdimensional game show angle is given away early, causing the suspense to not be what it could be. We know that this “spiritual retreat” isn’t normal before the girls even get there, so what could’ve been a slow build into a big reveal turns instead into a series of moments I watched with an indifferent, “well, this might as well happen,” attitude. An oddball girl’s trip comedy that slowly gets more disturbing and existential would’ve been so much more effective. Especially since this film had so much potential to be funny.

The guides on the retreat were great. Initially, the girls are led by Hermès (Joe Filippone), a fruit-tastic weirdo who reminded me so much of Pastor Glenn from Letterkenny that I was genuinely surprised to learn that he wasn’t played by Jacob Tierney. After the first night, Hermès is replaced by Inanna (Campbell Crates), who promises to help the ladies get in touch with their femininity – and makes them eat lemons straight. She’s the archetypal New Age weirdo, and I loved her. There was also a trio of mall goths in the woods, but I’m not sure they were supposed to be as ridiculous as they were. The less said about them and their Party City cloaks, the better.

I think this film’s biggest weakness was auteurship. Not only is Dana Kippel the lead actress, she’s also the writer and director. While I understand the desire for creative control, especially from female filmmakers, sometimes one person’s creative vision prevents a good idea from reaching its full potential. Under all the navel-gazing and cheese, there’s a good story in Reflect. But the film as it is just doesn’t quite meet the mark. I can’t express my full dissatisfaction without getting into spoiler territory, but what makes Reflect unsatisfying isn’t unique to it, and plenty of people will probably find it at least interesting. Visually, it’s very pretty – somewhere between Midsommar and Annihilation – and I do believe there’s an important message in there. It might be worth finding out for yourself!

7 out of 10