Settlers
“Settlers” tells the story of a girl’s transition into a confident, independent woman through a story of survival and loss. That the film takes place on Mars doesn’t have much to do with this central story, but enough to justify it being done. This isn’t quite “The Martian,” where the landscape is a tremendous part of how the film goes about its business; “Settlers” could be set in the Old West, and work just as successfully. (More so, even, because this film isn’t necessarily interested in science.)
Writer-director Wyatt Rockefeller tells his story in three acts. In the first act, we get a family- father Reza (Jonny Lee Miller), mother Ilsa (Sofia Boutella) and young Remmy (Brooklynn Prince)- in what appears to be the research facility in “The Martian,” but more traditionally crafted to include a pig pen (an outdoor pig pen) and lookouts Reza can go to. They are early settlers on Mars, and they have carved out a life for themselves. One day, they see the word “Leave” scrawled on their kitchen window; there’s danger afoot. By the end of the first act, two people are dead, and Jerry (Ismael Cruz Cordova) has moved in, claiming that this was once his home.
Each act is named after a different person- and once you figure out the structure, the reasons for each name will become abundantly clear. The important thing is, Remmy (who’s later played as a young woman by Nell Tiger Free) is the focal point of the entire film. Her experiences of the characters, of the events, are fundamental to the film, which shows her as always curious, and sometimes to a fault, but ultimately trying to maintain that child-like innocence, even when faced with tragedy. The performances by Prince and Free in the role draw a line to one another, and it’s lovely work that is counter to Cordova as the menacing, but trying to be caring, Jerry.
If one does not give thought to the science, and simply tries to enjoy the movie as a morality table of survival at the edge of the world, “Settlers” is strong enough as drama to endure close scrutiny. If the science matters to you, however, the lack of explanation regarding how long mankind had been on Mars, and how they seemingly terraformed it to where we could survive without spacesuits on outside, will be maddening. That said, the images in the film are strikingly shot by cinematographer Willie Nel, and the score by Nitin Sawhney captures an evocative feeling. The film feels like a morality play, and a fable. If taken simply on those terms, it’s a solid piece of drama.
