Bigfoot. Mothman. Whatever your flavor of cryptid is in the world, one thing is for sure, the people who spend their life searching for these mysterious and elusive creatures are just as interesting.
In Kourtney Roy’s feature debut film, Kryptic, we go on the search for a missing cryptid hunter who went missing searching for a beast known as The Sooka, which has been sighted in the British Columbian forests. This creature is a mishmash of just about every creature in mythology but feels a bit more in the Jersey Devil vein.
Our protagonist, Kay (Chloe Pirrie), can’t remember anything about her life but is drawn to the disappearance of Barb Valentine (awesome name, ftw) who is a famed monster hunter. She has a striking resemblance to herself and begins to go on the journey to find out what the Sooka did to Kay. So, we begin our journey into the forest for some level of discovery.
It’s a tough film to truly get into without just having an open conversation with someone because it asks many, many questions and offers fewer answers.
The labyrinth of goopy images and surreal visions become the driving force for the very fun and strange monster hunting film that is just as much about finding yourself as it is about the mystery within the woods.
First time feature filmmaker, Kourtney Roy is also a photographer and that shows with her clear sense of visual flare and opening up this world with Kay. While we never fully get a great look at whatever the cryptid might actually be, the camera utilizes the forest and dream-like lighting to truly transport us along with Kay for a mind melting story.
This is the type of film that upon first watch might be confusing, frustrating or troubling for some but others will relish in it’s beauty and mystery box elements. It’s psychedelic horror that examines the human element and our own weird journey as much as the bewildering creatures that live in the forest. A film that demands multiple watches and fun conversations dissecting the many questions it poses to the audience.
