WFG RATING: A

Cranked Up Films presents a Crazy Carrot Productions film. Written and directed by Dana Kippel. Produced by Zac Coats, Ryan Jack Connell, Brian Duss, Grace Patterson, and Loan Thach. Cinematography by Bernie Tarin. Edited by Caden Finch, K. Spencer Jones, and Marissa Patterson.

Stars Dana Kippel, Marissa Patterson, Ariana Brown, Grace Patterson, Jadelyn Breier, Joe Filippone, Corey Brooks, Campbell Crates, Dash Katz, Maya Knell, and Nathaniel Burns.

A weekend retreat for a group of friends leads to something more sinister in the feature directorial debut of actress Dana Kippel. 

Friends Summer, Katie, Nia, Liz, and Annie are all heading for a weekend retreat in the deserts of Sedona. Summer is a bit reluctant about Liz because Liz apparently has a crush on her boyfriend. However, the five head towards the place and meet Hermes, the first of mentors who will help them cleanse themselves for the weekend. The retreat consists of five courses in which the girls learn the truths about themselves to find enlightenment.

However, under the surface, there is something else in terms of the retreats. The ones responsible for running the retreats are actually a band of aliens in human forms who are looking to find new hosts for their counterparts. They are specifically looking for the strongest one willing to face their own demons with the prize being that of becoming the new host. What will happen when the friends find out the retreat’s true intentions?

From the surface, it sounds like this film could be another version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Midsommar. However, that is not even close to the case. As a matter of fact, the film is about finding yourself and facing your past demons in the form of a sci-fi metaphysical film, which marks the directorial debut of actress Dana Kippel, who also wrote the script and proves herself adding little twists and turns while ultimately bringing a message about finding yourself. 

Kippel has an eclectic group of characters as the main five with her Summer taking lead. Summer is a woman who feels she is in a not-so-good relationship with the somewhat conceited James. Katie, played by Grace Patterson, is a stand-up comic who revels in her fame through having too many relationships. Ariana Brown’s Nia is a headstrong woman who knows a few things but also has an estranged relationship with her mother. Annie, played by Marissa Patterson, is the quiet member yet is quite savvy with her intelligence. Finally, there’s Liz, played by Jadelyn Breier, seen as a somewhat promiscuous figure. 

The mentors of the retreat are quite an eccentric bunch themselves. Joe Filippone’s Hermes is the first mentor and comes off with a crazy cult leader vibe when he tells the friends the rules and what to expect in the retreat. This leads to a cameo from Kippel’s co-star from Hellhounds, Nathaniel Burns, as the wandering Gepeto. Campbell Crates’ Inanna is seen as a 60s-style hippie who gives the girls lemonade, which is not exactly what it seems to be. Finally, there are three mysterious goth looking figures as the last of the mentors with Maya Knell’s Moon being the standout, giving off a Teen Titans’ Raven-vibe which is actually quite funny. 

Where things get interesting is when we see the friends confronting their past demons in the forms of visuals. We see them literally coming face to face with what had made them become who they are. In the case of one, we see one confronting her terrible childhood, one confronting her mom, one confronting her past issues with drugs, and one coming face to face with a long harbored past that they felt needs to be confronted. Kippel uses some nice visuals, especially with the lemonade scene where things we see a POV shot of a distorted visual where two characters meet a wandering couple along the trail.  The finale is quite outstanding and shows what a directing force Kippel can be. 

Reflect is a great directorial debut for Dana Kippel. She has you thinking the film goes one way and while it does “reflect” the plot well, the visuals and performances enhance the plot in a different way and gives off a message about finding yourself. I cannot wait to see what’s next from Kippel as a director.

The film will be released on Demand and Digital on January 9.