Review: ‘Outpost’ is an unhinged delight

Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Reno 911!) steps behind the camera for the very first time as writer/director for Outpost. A nail-biting, woodsy thriller about one woman’s recovery from abuse, the film is expertly crafted, from script to cinematography. What makes it such an effective, sometimes chilling, journey stems from the exploration of PTSD as it pertains to domestic violence, only shown in brief glimpses throughout the film. Truglio’s story pulses with raw emotion, and what transpires is downright heartbreaking.

Kate (Beth Dover) needs an escape. After experiencing a near-fatal assault at the hands of her ex, she takes a volunteer position as a fire lookout in northern Idaho. The fresh air and expanse of woods could do her a world of good. Her best friend Nickie (Ta’Rea Campbell) connects Kate with her estranged brother Earl (Ato Essandoh) for the three-month post, much to Nickie’s reservations about her friend being secluded for so long. But Kate needs this. She needs to feel wanted and to fulfill some greater purpose. She needs to be alone with her thoughts.

But what she doesn’t account for is that such isolation can make one lose their sanity. Loneliness starts to weigh heavily on her shoulders. As refreshing as nature is, sweeping out in all directions, it’s also surprisingly claustrophobic when the closest companionship is a half-mile away. Once she gets into a routine — radioing promptly at 7 am and then again at 4 pm each day — every single day feels like the last. Wake up, radio, survey for fires, radio, sleep; rinse and repeat. Distraction becomes her trauma response, but she inevitably can’t escape the past. Hallucinations begin clouding her judgment, making her unable to properly report fires back to home base. As she descends into madness, and boy does she ever, Kate learns a tough lesson about what it means to survive in the wilderness.

Truglio toys with perception in truly unsettling ways. What the audience sees may not actually be what is. And that’s the beauty of Outpost. It’s unexpected, unhinged, and not unlike 1964’s Joan Crawford feature Strait-Jacket (in part, at least). When you least expect it, Truglio yanks the rug from beneath your feet, exposing reality and leaving your jaw on the ground. Outpost is nothing if not a total thrill ride, especially when the film vaults into its third act. It’s a slow build, yet the payoff is more than earned.

Outpost hits theaters and VOD this Friday (May 19).

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