User Reviews

There are far too many scenes that make you go "eww" (eg graphic close-up scenes of rotting food, and visuals of an exposed male genitalia urinating on a character). The last section has too many disturbing scenes, venturing in the area of torture pornography. We never really get why the villains or the woman are the way they are. And the ending is simply too bleak and downcast.

The movie does have some upsides. The desert scenery is beautiful, and at times, the movie manages to create some tense horror and compelling mystery. But at the end, I wish I had just turned this movie off. And I know for sure that this a movie I will never want to rewatch for the rest of my life.

I immediately see the influence of the classic Japanese New Wave film "Women In The Dunes" from 1964, by Hiroshi Teshigahara, based on a book by the Existentialist Novelist Kobo Abe. Teshigahara would go on to adapt a number of Abe's books to film. It is available for free viewing at Archive.org. Some of the scenes are a scene for scene copy (or homage).

The cinematography in "The Seeding" is outstanding, with great wide angle shots, and pans of landscapes. The first scene shows the man's car parking on a desert road cul-de-sac. The overhead shot resembles a sperm cell, with the road being the tail. A symbolic reference to the title and things to come. Ken Russell did a similar shot in the 1969 film "Women in Love", in which a (probably drunk) Oliver Reed dies while walking in snow.

With my expectations elevated for a fantastic sublime film, I was disappointed by the unimaginative screenplay and the real let down of a sloppy and apathetic conclusion.

I would recommend the movie for the filmmaking alone, but it is frustrating to think it could have been better with a rewrite.

The acting is well done, though I would have had the women have a stranger demeanor, considering she has not seen the outside world.

The plot leaves too many questions, and many simple questions are not even brought up by the Man. The writer didn't convey a plausible lead character. In the end, the project is essentially scrapped. The difficult issues are not brought into the screenplay which is disappointing.

As a "Horror" film it has some of the gore, but the film doesn't entirely embrace the genre. In the end the film simply misses the target. This due to the fact that the filmmakers were not sure of what they were aiming for in the first place.

For what this movie is, I guess the overall film wasn't terrible. It wasn't good either. The main problem I had with it was that the main character wasn't likeable in the least bit. He spends his time on screen being loud and annoying. This is why I don't feel a bit bad for what happens to him. He probably treats everyone around him the way he treats the other characters in this film. The acting wasn't awful but it wasn't exactly great either. The soundtrack is weird but I suppose it fits the movie. If you like a meandering story with not much explanation and static shots of nature; you might actually enjoy this film. For me though, I just found it boring.

Usually, I try to look at the upsides to every movie I watch. I really tried to do the same for movie, but it just made it so incredibly hard to so do. I mean, who was the target audience for this movie? Horror fans aren't going to like it, it's not a drama and it certainly isn't a comedy, so whom exactly was this film meant to appease? No one is going to like this movie because there is nothing about it worth liking. Aside from the awesome cinematography and the performance of the lead male actor (a performance wasted on this embarrassment of a film), there is nothing else that is even remotely worth commending.

Even writing this review, I found myself growing increasingly agitated at having wasted almost 2 hours watching a film that ultimately made no sense, and really didn't enrich my life in the end. My goal in watching movies is to find something that inspires me, or at least helps me see things in new and interesting perspectives. All this movie managed to do was frustrate me and annoy me in equal measure, and I would not recommend anyone watch this movie, no matter how bored or devoid of content you seem to be. It is a meritless endeavor that will take more from you than it is willing to give, and I implore each of you considering watching this movie to read a book instead. You will find much more value in the written word than wasting you time with movies that do not respect it.

This movie gets 3 stars for the cinematography and the magnificent acting by the male lead.

As an aside, there is a novel I read a long time ago titled "Woman in the Dunes" by the author Kobo Abe. The gist of that novel is very similar to what happens in this movie. I'd consider reading that book instead of watching this movie. You will have a much better time. I promise.

For those who are big fans of unusual or artsy horror/thrillers, I found that I had predicted the outcome after around 15 minutes- which was overall a shame. Whilst well created, with some beautiful scenes and building tension- it all just seemed pointless considering the plot "twist" was poorly hidden.

If you like stories that are a little bit "weird" than it might be up your ally as you may be surprised, but for those of you out there who are avid fans, I personally found the film forgettable.

There were also some story line aspects that weren't really followed up on/discussed- this feels like the main attempt to "hide" the outcome but in my opinion, makes the outcome more obvious.

Wyndham Stone (Scott Haze) gets lost in remote wilderness. He is rescued by a woman (Kate Lyn Sheil) living at the bottom of a canyon. He gets hurt trying to climb the canyon wall. Then he is harassed and trapped by a group of young people.

This reminds me very much of 70's Ozploitation. Quite frankly, I thought they may be Aussies trying not to do their accent. That has to be the motif that filmmaker Barnaby Clay was shooting for. It succeeds at that. The movie is off-putting in all that right ways. It has a tiny location. It is simplistic, crude, and basic. Don't look for more or complexity.

I haven't see the trailer,so I didn't know what to expect. After the first 18 minutes you know exactly what is going to happen. Unfortunately I saw the whole movie expecting the plot twist. It didn't came. My vote would be higher if this was a part of a trilogy. It could be a second movie with a happy or unexpected end,and a third movie (with the original/indian language ) how everything starts. Acting was good,direction medium. I mean give us a shot from above the desert so we can feel how isolated they are. Most annoying was the script,I almost knew what will happen minute after minute. Even the title gives to much.

Traveling out to the desert, a man trying to photograph an eclipse becomes stranded in the area and seeks shelter at a strange woman's house, but after finding himself trapped in the house with her as a group of feral children prevents his escape tries to find a way out before he perishes.

On the whole, this was a massively enjoyable feature. Among the most enjoyable facets here is the means through which the slowly escalating situation brings about a generally creepy setup. The starting point through all this is creepy enough as the route to the woman's house in following the strange kid and arriving at the pit at the bottom of the canyon where there's no one else to help out beyond her gives everything a rather uneasy and unsettling vibe. That carries over to the way everything starts to pan out for him while staying there, with the caretaker-like quality observed here that takes on a helpful tone for the way she helps nurse him back to health for the majority of the first half. As this is coupled with the arid, desolate landscape in place here, this has quite an impressive setup. This setup gives the film's descent into psychological downfall feel far more earned and unnerving. The time they spend together without really answering questions about why she's there in the situation with the boys who seem to terrorize them one moment and then drop supplies down to them the next, it just creates such a fine psychologically maddening setup that there's a great deal of tension found within the confines of their relationship as the more he tries to escape the scenario which is then tested nicely as the gruesome setup plays out in a series of untrustworthy revels involving why she's made peace with the situation as well as his slowly-growing acceptance. That plays a big part of the solid finale that might be sign-posted a bit too readily but still gives this a lot to like overall. There isn't much holding this one back but it does have a few small issues. The main drawback here is the overall confusing nature of what's happening as the ho-hum acceptance of the situation makes it feel far too dragged out and weird for the first part. With the bizarre setup playing out as if by routine but never explicitly stating why or what's going on, this leaves the events to unfold without taking any kind of expressed route and the myriad of possible outcomes for what's happening here drain a lot of the suspense out of the scenario. That becomes especially true as this plods along with a much longer than necessary running time which brings the film to a screeching halt with how these confrontations continue to play out in a rather obvious manner and are all that bring it down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

The imminent dread is teased out and paced perfectly as fragments of the plot reveal themselves. There is life in the desert but nothing that our lone photographer will be able to contend with. The moon slides across the sun, the sky goes dark for a few seconds. He takes a perfect shot of the eclipse. When the light returns a child is there. Does he need saving? A demure woman who lives at the bottom of a crater offers no answers but there's soup on the table and now it's getting late!

Relationships shift and change, terrible revelations emerge--it gets weird, it gets gruesome. The cycle of life is awesome and also terrifying!

As an art film lover, you will surely enjoy "The Seeding". It is slow-paced, as is typical of art films, but that is part of its charm. The leisurely pace allows each viewer to form their own interpretation of the enigmatic story.

The main character can be irritating, but that is probably because he is meant to be. The film sound is fantastic and creates an excellent atmosphere. What's bad is that I saw the end of the film, already in the middle of it. It is also a pity that the lives of those who live above pit are not shown. Overall, "The Seeding" is a solid one-time watch film, that will keep you thinking and interpreting long after the credits roll.

Ah ha ah ha - or something along those lines (not sure how the song writes the lyrics) - sorry and no pun intended. Even more (or less) so, if you don't know the song I am referring to. That aside, the movie has a major problem for me: the main character. The character has more than one flaw though: the way he acts (or reacts) to the boy he meets does not make any sense to what we see later! In other words: it goes against his character and what he stands for or how he would go on about things.

The other (major) thing with him is .. he is just so unlikeable (dare I say obnoxious and annoying at times?)! Which makes it really hard to follow him through the whole movie .. or support him - which is kind of a big deal in my book.

If you don't mind though ... if you can suspend your disbelief ... well you will get a tight (if slow) story .. and good acting overall! Also a tense situation ... to say the least.

A Spoiler-free Review

This is a solid Folk Horror entry to be appreciated by those into the sub-genre. Good for fans Mother! And Children of the Corn.

It's not terrible. At times it's even pretty good! The acting, cinematography and set design are all solid.

I appreciate that the movie isn't trying to trick the viewer. The experience is pretty straight-forward from the first frame of a kid walking through the dessert and munching on a human fing. It gets more complex, and there are fun details to uncover, but there's really only the one big surprise, which kicks low-budget ass!

-Josh from Loathsome Things: A Horror Movie Podcast.

Director Barnaby Clay and team have pulled off a beautifully shot, thought provoking horror in the desert film. Everything is firing on all cylinders. The performances are pitch perfect for the story, which is enough of a mystery to keep the viewer engaged until the end. But the cinematography and score are really shine in The Seeding. The visuals play into the narrative in way an audience might not catch on a first or even second watch, and the music evokes a gritty desperation, a mounting tension, allusions to a dark fate. It's haunting.

Word to the wise, if you see a child crying in the desert and they refuse your help, don't follow them. Call the authorities and let them sort it out.

The movie is good enough to watch at least once. It slows, and it might be a little bit boring at times, but for the most part is good. The cinematography and direction stand out, it has a really well accomplished creepy vibe, the actors all do a great job. The children are creepy, the music is really good too. Overall, a good movie. Maybe it would have been better if there were more scenes with him trying to escape so that it would create more tension in the film, but I understand that maybe it would've made the film different and more of a thriller if that happened, so I think it's good just as it is.

Eden Lake meets Lord of the flies.

I can not for the life in me understand the poor ratings, Really creepy and yet brutal and beautiful piece of cinema.

Guy goes to get some photos of the eclipse in the way out of town area, kinda miles from nowhere. He sees a child that claimed he was lost, then finds his way onto a ladder going into a huge hollow in the landscape. He comes across a woman in a cabin then he's basically trapped in the big hole. Then it starts to get a tad freaky!! Deliverance type of anarchy with a nice twist and some very stomach churning scenes.

Definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed deliverance and the hills have eyes genre.