Not sure why I need 600 characters, but here goes- It's a relatively well done film loosely based on Ruby Ridge I assume.. The acting is ok, the set acceptable.. The directing is even fine.. I think the problem is in the writing and editing.. The characters aren't fleshed out.. It's very bare bones and the timing seems slightly off.. Just too rushed.. But all of that is minor compared to the laziness of the basic story.. Been there, done that.. We get it already.. The system is broken and too many people fall thru the cracks.. Same ol', same ol'.. Where's the growth..? Where's the evolution of character and education of consciousness..? I want to see a wholistic arc giving us solutions and showing positive change.. This is just the same old negative Hollywood crap.. Where's the hope..? The parts were decent enough here, but they just don't add up to anything.. It's a real problem that would be better served by giving us something positive.. Maybe the budget was small and the producers just wanted to cut it short, but it could have been way better.. For the record I could have said all that with 100 characters or less.. And the younger girl probably did the best acting of all.. Everybody else was a bit cliche for their roles.. She seemed to actually have an idea what to do with her character, so props to her..! 👍
10 Reviews
Move From The City
izrac17 November 2022
I gave the movie "Manifest West" five stars as to me it was an average movie. It was about a family that moves from the city to the country and shows how the have to adapt to the changes between the country and the city life and how they have to learn to interact with the other families that live in the same area around where they have moved. . It mostly centers around the main family and how they raise their children and the legal political issues that they have to deal with. The movie reminded me of the Randy Weaver incident that happened at Ruby Ridge which involved several of the government FBI agents. I would recommend this movie as a watch.
its like the film...
ops-5253517 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
''it comes at night'', a film that you waited the whole night for it to come, just like the grumpy old mans intimate life...ya understand...
its about a family that doesnt belong in society, and moves up on the top of amountai to maintain a lifestyle off the grid. But its not a yhealthy family of four, where the mum figure is heavily mentally ill., and when it comes to terms its clearly that the family wont fit in off the grid either.and at last the child protection services shows up and then everything unravels completely...
as does this film, it completely unravels plotwise, what they aim for his highly unclear, the production shows real inexperience on the filmatographics, the light squad are really lacking natural light so they use reflectors for all its worth, it might sound like a giant leap to mankind, but the giant plot leaps taken to put this film on the finish line are just inexusabel and rather amateuristic. There maybe an ounce of realism to it, but thats taken outta a true life crime textbook taken out of the media circus, not real life common true adventures.
What saves some glory is the kid actors, the daughter caracters a well maintained by those two young ones, mr gibson is in my mind just verbal gibberish and doesnt show much talent at all. So if you want to start a life off the grid, then watch and learn how it shouldnt be done, because its a hard days night learning how to maintain life out of primary sources. So its a no recommend productionwise, maybe a little for the child acts.
its about a family that doesnt belong in society, and moves up on the top of amountai to maintain a lifestyle off the grid. But its not a yhealthy family of four, where the mum figure is heavily mentally ill., and when it comes to terms its clearly that the family wont fit in off the grid either.and at last the child protection services shows up and then everything unravels completely...
as does this film, it completely unravels plotwise, what they aim for his highly unclear, the production shows real inexperience on the filmatographics, the light squad are really lacking natural light so they use reflectors for all its worth, it might sound like a giant leap to mankind, but the giant plot leaps taken to put this film on the finish line are just inexusabel and rather amateuristic. There maybe an ounce of realism to it, but thats taken outta a true life crime textbook taken out of the media circus, not real life common true adventures.
What saves some glory is the kid actors, the daughter caracters a well maintained by those two young ones, mr gibson is in my mind just verbal gibberish and doesnt show much talent at all. So if you want to start a life off the grid, then watch and learn how it shouldnt be done, because its a hard days night learning how to maintain life out of primary sources. So its a no recommend productionwise, maybe a little for the child acts.
not good
smoke024 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I only decided to watch this because of the guy from the Walking Dead and figured he was the star, but he was just the hook. I won't reiterate what other reviewers have said is wrong with this film, other than pointing out that it is, indeed, pointless, but what really annoyed me was the final resolution.
The older daughter completely changes her personality and character into a worldly, wise, completely different person and spouts out a couple of pseudo-philosophical aphorisms that completely and magically change the father's mind and then everything is ok and we get the end.
In short, this was a ridiculous waste of time.
The older daughter completely changes her personality and character into a worldly, wise, completely different person and spouts out a couple of pseudo-philosophical aphorisms that completely and magically change the father's mind and then everything is ok and we get the end.
In short, this was a ridiculous waste of time.
Short and Sweet
GuySolis19 May 2023
I find it hard to believe that movie after movie with these "class A" actors are so intolerably lacking. Poor acting, crappy scenarios and these people seem like they have no choice but to be in these movies, really? Movie after movie across the board are crap designed to take our time..what happened to the good old days when classic actors paved the way for the trash we now have? What an abuse, a waste.. I can't even get into what I seen, yawned at and heard the same feeble lines from other movies....aaaaak....pass on this one..go find a Tiddly Wink game to play with your children, at least then you wouldn't have a waste of time..
Annet Mahendru
dumbassgreg24 March 2024
I watched once I saw Annet Mahendru name. Have been a fan since The americans. She does her usual excellent job . Michael cudlitz.is first rate also. Milo Gibson on other hand . Wonder if he got the part because of his last name. Did not even know who He was till checking credits after watching. He is not anywhere near their talent level. The rest of cast even young girls act circles around him.
As for story it does seem like Randy webber Ruby Ridge story. The scenery is beautiful . Must have been filmed pacific northwest or British columbia. If you are fan Mahendru or cudlitz maybe check it out. Otherwise pass on it.
As for story it does seem like Randy webber Ruby Ridge story. The scenery is beautiful . Must have been filmed pacific northwest or British columbia. If you are fan Mahendru or cudlitz maybe check it out. Otherwise pass on it.
competent, slow burn, melodrama, single theme
A_Different_Drummer16 November 2022
A number of recent films have been based on the age-old truism "you can't go home again." This one tackles the issue from the other end -- you can't really leave home, especially if you are leaving with the hope that all your old problems will magically disappear if you simply change locations. The story presents us with a tight-knit family showing genuine chemistry and caring. The father (Milo Gibson, son of Mel) seems to feel that his money problems (not much left) and his wife's medical problems (bi-polar, prone to sudden violent outbursts) will all disappear if he grabs his two young girls and moves the family off grid. Only to find there really is no off-grid in our modern world, you will only end up in someone else's backyard, with lots of folks who will pop up to make darn sure you are following their rules, not yours. A slow burn yarn with a single point to make, but it is very competent, well acted, and it holds interest. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))
No, it's not marvel or DC
Bgappl078 May 2023
I must admit, I resent this Twitter type thing of how many characters you have to have but I did want to add my review of this because it's getting harder and harder to find movies where it's just the acting and the plot that either entices you or doesn't I see all these repetitions of popular films done over and over again whether it's the comic universe or films like taken or the Keanu Reeves one that just came out with part four they're the same and they're remanufactured and spit out and those get good reviews and make a lot of money but there are still some of us out there that really want to see a story and this particular movie is a story whether it's a repetition of some stories in the past it's not an exact replica And it caught my attention and the characters were interesting. Not just the two main the mother and father I'm thinking but certainly the children too so now it's not a 10 and it's not gonna make millions of dollars or billions or whatever it's supposed to make these days, but it was worth watching .
Surprisingly Topical
bradysteve-4563018 November 2022
In an age of diminishing trust of institutions, this film is surprisingly topical, capturing the doubts and instability of attempting a life "off the grid". Powerful performances throughout. Milo Gibson has his father's emotional intensity, and the powder keg is lit when a government social worker starts asking questions. Annet Mahendru gives a layered performance as a loving mother struggling to hold on to sanity. Both daughters were excellent, making the best of an uncertain future. The cinematography beautifully captures the rural mountain backdrop, while also revealing the many avenues for dysfunction and danger that linger there. A nuanced and unexpected gem.
Rookie filmmaking mistakes aside, this was better than I expected.
Top_Dawg_Critic28 November 2022
Novice filmmaker duo, co-writers and co-directors Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson were excellent in directing their cast, gave us beautifully shot scenes and cinematography, but had the writing been much tighter, this film could've been outstanding. For starters, all casting and performances were exceptional - they felt very convincing and real, even the little girls. The score was excellent and complimented the scenes perfectly. Going into this, the promotional description for this film was "a coming of age" story, which it was, but it was also a lot more that was too subtle to make this film great. The narrative was too uneven and incohesive with its subplots, which left many plot holes. It tried biting off more than it chewed in its 91 min runtime. Had the pacing been better, and some irrelevant scenes omitted and others expanded with more depth - even if an extra 15-20 mins were added, it would've made a huge difference. Nevertheless, a great one-time watch that will provoke many thoughts long after the film is over. It's a 7.5 rounded up to an 8/10, specifically for the exceptional performances and rookie mistakes forgiven to the novice filmmaker duo.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
