Bone Lake

Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) find themselves in an awkward situation in Bone Lake (Distributed by Bleecker Street Media)

Two couples who are complete strangers end up alone together in a secluded location and things aren’t exactly as they seem. This rough outline describes the basic plot of so many movies. The psychological thriller Bone Lake does not subvert this setup at all. It is predictable (the twist is so obvious that it barely even registers as a twist), with dim characters, a slow pace and no sense of location whatsoever. But then there are bursts of surprising cleverness and some genuinely funny moments.

Whenever I was ready to give up on it altogether, something ridiculous would reel me back in. The story itself is not good, but when director Mercedes Bryce Morgan and writer Joshua Friedlander break from the formula to go far over the top, it is actually kind of fun. That doesn’t happen enough for a recommendation, yet the last fifteen minutes come close.

Diego and Sage have rented a massive lake house for a romantic weekend getaway. Their escape is interrupted by Will and Cin, who have done the same thing. The couples decide that the house is big enough to share for a few days. However, it doesn’t take long for them to start getting in each other’s way and it becomes apparent someone is playing a game they won’t all survive.

Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita) crash a romantic weekend

Bone Lake (91 minutes, without the end credits) doesn’t work as a horror movie. Not even a little bit. It isn’t scary or creepy or suspenseful. There is no sense of mood at all. They spend the entire time in a large space the filmmakers never turn into a tangible location. It just feels like we’re watching four people make dumb decisions. Though there is a distinct feeling that everyone involved with this production was keenly aware of this and aren’t taking things remotely seriously.

There are lengthy stretches of dull “mind games,” where the characters fall for some pretty stupid manipulations. Then, something so absurd will happen and it seems clear that the audience is being invited to laugh. I certainly wouldn’t label this a comedy, yet I laughed out loud multiple times. It felt very much like that was the intended reaction. So, it does sort of work on that level, even if the story is far too unoriginal to take advantage of it.

Diego and Sage are quiet and reserved. Will and Cin are outgoing, inquisitive to the point of intrusion, partiers. The latter couple almost seems to go out of their way to bring a sexual charge to the atmosphere, making the other two quite uncomfortable. There are a lot of references to sex, as well as a pair of sex scenes. Yet, for a story where temptation is meant to hang over everything, the sexuality here is extremely tame. These are good looking people, to be sure, but their conversations on the topic have the maturity of a group of high schoolers. None of it is alluring enough to feel like either a threat or a promise.

Bone Lake is so formulaic that it nearly comes off as a parody of itself. While it definitely isn’t, it has a wicked sense of humor that is undeniably funny. If only the whole movie had been like that.

2½ out of 5

Cast:

Marco Pigossi as Diego

Maddie Hasson as Sage

Alex Roe as Will

Andra Nechita as Cin

Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan

Written by Joshua Friedlander