Lovely, Dark, and Deep – Toronto After Dark 2023

A National Park ranger experiences unsettling supernatural events in the wilderness in Love, Dark, and Deep. Ranger Lennon (Georgina Campbell) has just received her dream assignment of being stationed in the backcountry of Arvores National Park. Staying at an isolated cabin in the wilderness, Lennon is left alone, except with daily check-ins with the other rangers, including Jackson (Nick Blood) and Zhang (Wai Ching Ho). However, when Lennon ignores orders to stay at her ranger station while searching for the missing woman Sara Greenberg (Maria de Sá), she learns that there is something in the wilderness.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep Synopsis

Lovely, Dark, and Deep is the feature film debut from writer and director Teresa Sutherland (The Wind, Midnight Mass). It is inspired by reports of hundreds of people going missing in National Parks, as explained by an expositionary podcast Lennon listens to early in the film. The film stars Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) as National Park Ranger Lennon, haunted by her younger sister Jenny’s disappearance many years prior. Lennon’s desire to locate her sister leads to her taking the initiative when searching for the missing woman, Sara Greenberg. However, after finding Sara, Lennon learns that something supernatural in the wilderness demands a replacement for the saved soul.

My Thoughts on Lovely, Dark, and Deep

Lovely, Dark, and Deep is an incredibly slow-paced film, and much of the film’s horror is more psychological than visual. One of the film’s themes is the survivor’s guilt felt by Ranger Lennon over the loss of her sister, which leads to her quest to find out what happened. Sadly, Lovely, Dark, and Deep doesn’t have a satisfying payoff, and the film ends up being a bit of a bore.

Trailer for Lovely, Dark, and Deep – Toronto After Dark 2023