Directed by Daniel Robinette, from a screenplay co-written with Aaron Sorgius and Jeff Cox (Michael Scott, Kayla Stuhr, Jeremy Tassone and Cooper Thorton working alongside), Tethered began life as a 12-minute short of the same name back in 2017 and was well-received enough for Robinette to build on its promising foundations with this 2022 feature debut; the oak to the acorn which was that small but memorable film.

When I began watching Tethered, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen it before somewhere, but put it down to déjà vu or thinking I’d dreamed it (both of which happen to me frequently). In my quest for fresh blood several years ago (horror material-wise, you understand), I went through a phase of raiding YouTube for its short horror films, haunting Alter and Screamfest like a boss.

The short story has always seemed to me the perfect medium to achieve maximum impact; even more so with horror. Those challenges to tell as scary a story as you can using as few words as possible? I’m all OVER stuff like that, can’t get enough of it. Given the number of these shorts I’d get through in a session before my family began demanding attention (the cat issuing her own commands by pushing random things off any nearby surface), it says something for any that caught in my mind out of such a tangle of many, as this one did.

Living in total isolation in the woods of North Carolina are blind youngster Solomon (Brody Bett; Jared Laufree plays the main role, having also played Solomon in the 2017 short) and his ailing mother Nidia (Alexandra Paul), who, as Solomon’s absent father Lucas (Chris Demm) informs us via voiceover during the intro, is not getting better for living this way, as hoped.

With this seemingly in mind, Nidia appears to be teaching Solomon to become as independent as possible despite his impairment; there’s a definite sense of preparing for a storm or some unpleasant but necessary undertaking. Beneath even that too, something darker.

At the same time the strength of love and pride Nidia feels for her son shines through with an intensity that’s almost desperate. Though her character is one of few words, it’s impossible not to see there’s clearly a grave reason for her determination; however, like many of the film’s puzzles it’s left markedly suspended, adding to that ominous undertone; Solomon follows strict rules imposed by Nidia to remain safe (one assumes at a glance in light of his blindness), reinforced by the main one of three; to never let go of the rope which allows him to remain within certain parameters of their cabin. The assumption of protective parent is an easy one to make, but with the events which follow and drastically alter Solomon’s life as adulthood draws closer (including the introduction of hunter Hank (Kareem Ferguson) it becomes apparent there’s far more to it than that.

In the end there’s much to Tethered you make up your own mind about. Whether you favour fact or fantasy it reaches the sort of conclusion that suggests enough of each to set a lively imagination to work on any number of possibilities. It’s a thought-provoking, spellbinding film packed with emotion that’s brought to life by the contrasting minimal dialogue and wild location, powerful yet sensitive use of music, and enough mystery to keep the viewer’s attention without leaving them frustrated.

Fun fact: IMDb offers an interesting point in its trivia for Tethered about the lyrics of the song Nidia and Solomon share throughout that’s worth a look; fret not, it’s not a spoiler, but may in fact pique your interest even more…

8.5 out of 10 Secrets Among The Trees