To catch up on some Fall movies we need to take a look at CADDO LAKE. It seems so atmospheric, in fact, the locale, it feels, is very much a character in this one. Plus, it is a real locale. I could go on about the geological aspect of the place but, in short, it is a 25,400 acre cypress bayou and lake on the border between Louisana and Texas. It is named after the Caddoan Indigenous People, once of the region. The once, primordial spot has since had a dam placed to control the wetlands, oil rigs to pump out its riches, and even a few towns like Uncertain, Texas, population 85.
Just add the sensibilities of one M. Night Shyamalan and you’ve got yourself a twisty tale as winding as the bayou itself. Shyamalan is only executive producer on this 2024 thriller but his influence is felt within the piece that is actually directed by the team of Celine Held & Logan George. The duo, film festival darlings, also wrote CADDO LAKE.
The 99-minute movie stars Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner), Eliza Scanlen (HBO’s SHARP OBJECTS), Sam Hennings (The Work and the Glory), Eric Lange (HBO’s PERRY MASON), Lauren Ambrose (HBO’s SIX FEET UNDER), Diana Hopper and Caroline Falk. The movie was released on Max on October 10, 2024. Ellie (Scanlen), her mother, step-father, and step-sister live near Caddo Lake, a mysterious body of water in Louisiana/Texas. Ellie’s 8-year-old stepsister, Anna, vanishes one night while near the lake. The family and community begin searching for her. Ellie searches for Anna on a portion of the lake where the water has receded and she can walk on the now dry lake bed. When returning to land and going back to her mother’s home, she discovers she is now 3 days in the past. In a panic, she returns to the lake and finds Anna, but this is one month in the past when Anna had run off before. It turns out that Caddo Lake has a time displacement phenomenon that activates when water levels drop. Ellie goes back to the lake again in the hope of finding Anna a second time.
And the tale is off and running. Winding through the soggy cypress grove, one finds oneself slipping back in and forth through time. Trippy, indeed. Check out the trailer –
And lastly, check out what the aggregator RT tabulated about the thriller. Does it grip audiences?
We just skimmed the surface of what twists and surprises this movie holds. Find it curated, along with plenty of other Shyamalan works, on Max.
