Caleb Landry Jones is no stranger to the strange. ANTIVIRAL, TWIN PEAKS and BYZANTIUM are but a few of his wierd yet captivating performances. Teaming up with NEON DEMON star Abbey Lee and Riley Keogh (IT COMES AT NIGHT), Justin Kelly's WELCOME THE STRANGER is probably his most obscure role yet.

 

Ethan (Jones) lives alone until his sister (Lee) arrives. As she learns of her brother isolation she is haunted by visuals that attract the pair in an otherworldly way. Their relationship is close yet distant and as the recoup their lost years and history, the arrival of Jones girlfriend strikes a deeper devide between the pair.

 

Like the relationships of the trio, WELCOME THE STRANGER is en engrossing mystery that makes you feel distant from reality. As the strange environment in which Ethan resides unlocks its secrets, the central cast get more illusive and abstract from the real world.

 

Lead by Lee and Jones, this is perfect casting for a psychological thriller that is based on the unknown rather than the knowing. The mystery becomes second only to the relationship between the pair and Lee's mystique is hypnotic and scary while Jonesplays vulnerable and victim to the conflict that ensues between the two women fighting for his attention.

 

As I write this piece, I wholeheartedly enjoyed WELCOME THE STRANGER even if I did not fully understand it. Everything from the stark camerwork to the hair raising soundtrack are reminiscent of horror that is alike to STOKER and STARRY EYES in the way that the central performances deliver the tense nature of a film shrouded in mystery that even as it leaves places a scar of unknown reasoning to the viewers head.

 

As with other Hollywood indie movies, this feels like it has a deeper symbolism of isolation and need for companionship and delivers in a way that becomes both relatable (the brooding family, the intrusion of another, need for wanting) and isolated (the lack of ansers, the inneviatable cnclusion that feels worlds away from the drama and an appetite of destuction). Kelly has crafted something that won't appeal to all and it's those with a steading patience and mind for escapism that will benefit most from this surreal mystery that leaves you wanting more...