“Noseeums” follows Ember, who goes on a weekend trip to Florida with her friends. They find themselves in a fight for survival when ghosts from the past return to the land to reclaim it.
The film begins with a simple statement: “The land knows you, even when you are lost.”
At the heart of the horror within “Noseeums” is social commentary, particularly land theft, systemic injustices and racial prejudices. The film doesn’t hide this objective, but it also doesn’t beat you over the head with it.
Putting the audience in the shoes of Ember, the film encourages viewers to sympathize with her. While not directly similar, the early stages of “Noseeums” take an approach comparable to “Get Out.” Cutting out the sci-fi elements allows these experiences to feel lived-in and grounded.
Even with a shorter 80-minute runtime, the horrors of “Noseeums” remain very limited early on. Viewers hear whispers, but not much more. It’s a slow-burn approach within a sharp script, resulting in a largely seamless experience. It’s at about the midway point that the film dives further into horror. It remains subtle, but “Noseeums” brings supernatural terror to the screen in creative ways through nightmares and visions. These moments play directly into the themes.
The title — “Noseeums” — is a metaphor in itself. The unseen traumas of systemic racism. Much like how the tiny flying insects leave painful welts, small microaggressions and prejudices can leave scars on a community.
With that being said, the movie sometimes doesn’t give its audience enough credit. Including a number of characters strictly for exposition purposes, “Noseeums” spells out all of its ideas. While the story itself visualizes the themes, it doesn’t stop there. Over and over again, the film pauses to tell rather than show.
This translates to the conclusion as well. Rather than letting the audience linger with these thoughts, “Noseeums” opts for a neater finale. This choice slightly takes away from the metaphor of it all. By the time the credits roll, everything seems less serious. When really, the topics themselves should feel elevated to discussion-worthy heights. Director Raven Carter does manage to tie the ideas together, however. As the movie says at the start, “The land knows you, even when you are lost.” This message is interwoven throughout the entire film.
“Noseeums” is a low-budget indie project. The visuals still work. Director of photography Christopher Lee Fatt captures the Florida landscape, making the land into a character of its own. There are some shortcomings in the CGI, but they are easy to forgive. The film consistently stays visually striking while remaining simple. When the movie does attempt to grow tense, though, these “cheesy” visual effects can take away from the immersion. This causes several serious sequences to play off as more comedic than intended.
Aleigha Burt (Ember) is one of the main reasons “Noseeums” works as well. While the surrounding performances are at times inconsistent, Burt remains consistently engaging. She installs slight changes in inflections and delivery that make her character’s discomfort and anxieties feel real.
“Noseeums” is messy. But messy with purpose. Carter blends horror with social commentary to explore a number of complex, deep-rooted ideas in thoughtful yet underdeveloped fashion.
Rating: 3 out of 5
