High Lane

Starring: Fanny Valette, Johan Libereau, Raphael Langlet, Nicolas Giraud, Maud Wyler, Justin Blankaert

Synopsis:

Five graduates – Freddy, Chloe, Loic, Karine and Guillaume – meet up for an afternoon mountain trek in rural Croatia. Freddy and Karine are a steady couple, as are Loic and Karine – although she used to be Guillaume’s girl and they haven’t seen each other in the four years since their break-up. Guillaume’s presence – at the behest of his old mate Freddy – causes a lot of tension with Karine and Loic.

When they discover the adventure trail they were meant to take is closed, they attempt it anyway, led by Freddy and Karine, who are the more experienced climbers. But Loic’s growing jealousy of Guillaume and his growing fear of the precarious path they are taking puts the whole group into mortal danger. As the group threatens to implode, they discover that someone is hunting them…

I’m a big fan of the “survival horror” genre, where the protagonists must battle against their environment as much as the killer/s and High Lane is a great example of that type of movie.

The film starts innocuously enough, with the gang checking their gear before driving to the mountains. Straight away, we’re informed that the group isn’t exactly harmonious. Karine is worried about Chloe and how she might react to Guillaume’s presence. Meanwhile it’s clear that Guillaume still carries a torch for Chloe. A sing-song in the car to an old song from their college days (“We Are Young” by Supergrass) is a sharp reminder to Loic that these guys had a past together long before he arrived on the scene.

The photography throughout the film is stunning, and the setting is very picturesque. Abel Ferry captures the danger and exhilaration of the climb along mountain ledges perfectly. The mountain region they’re walking through is amazing.

The mood of the film changes drastically when the group come across a huge rope-bridge which they must cross. Loic’s reckless jealousy puts one of the group in great danger as the bridge starts to come apart. Ferry squeezes every drop of tension possible through a mix of close-ups of cables coming unloose, the gang scrambling to save their friend, the bridge falling away – it’s a fantastic scene, which changes everything about their predicament: however difficult it becomes, there is no turning back.

Can things get any worse for the gang? Actually, yes – a lot worse. Waiting for them on the next mountain is a cannibal poacher called Anton, and the gang fall foul of the deadly traps he’s set out in the woods. Their plight becomes deadlier and deadlier.

It’s arguable whether the story needs an Anton. The dynamics of the group and the way it was fracturing might have been compelling in itself. As it is, Anton’s presence acts as the catalyst for Loic to show his true colour – yellow. His actions are kind of the highlight of the film.

Verdict

A mix of Extreme adventuring and survival horror, High Lane delivers action and horror in equal measure.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)