Home Entertainment: ‘Settlers’ digital review

Marking the first feature film for Wyatt Rockefeller, Settlers tells a stark story of survival in the desolation of Mars. Family unit Reza (Jonny Lee Miller), Ilsa (Sofia Boutella), and Remmy (Brooklynn Prince) live a simple life on Mars having left Earth in the wake of an ecological disaster. Despite once having been terraformed to support human life, the climate of Mars is now suffering too and existence is hard for the trio. Their peaceful way of life is then suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a hostile outsider, Jerry (Ismael Cruz Córdova), who takes Remmy hostage and quickly exposes her to the bleak truth that Remmy’s parents had been hiding from her. As the years pass, events veer down a dark path as Jerry’s true intentions are finally revealed.   

The plot of Settlers is kept fairly simple, the overarching theme being that of human will power to survive however we can. The anchor point of the story is played out within the hostage situation, Rockefeller opting to keep the dialogue, explanations, and interactions to a minimum; therefore allowing tension to build within these silences. As no character is forthcoming with their truths, the audience is left to play detective to fully work out what is happening. This is further exacerbated by Rockefeller’s choice of narrative structure. Technically it follows the traditional three act pattern, although here the story is broken into three chapters, each honing in on a different character. The story progresses forwards in all. Interestingly, no chapter is specifically identified as belonging to Remmy who is almost certainly our protagonist. Each section highlights a particular character’s dynamic with Remmy, and through that offers insight into who she is. The time and perspectives of Remmy may change, but the one constant is the ever red sky, and dusty rocky landscape. Rockefeller creates a stunning backdrop to the unfolding events, the world is as uncomfortable and hostile as the situation playing out in the structure that houses the characters. The setting is so visually vibrant and evocative that it’s hard to believe that this is Rockefeller’s first feature. 

Possessing little in the way of plot propelling dialogue or overworked story, Settlers rests its success on the shoulders of the cast. Rockefeller has amassed a great amount of talent with all the actors pushing themselves to their limits and giving some breathtaking performances. Nineties icon Jonny Lee Miller is almost unrecognisable as Remmy’s father Reza, and whilst Sofia Boutella of Star Trek into Darkness and Kingsman fame, is instantly identifiable, her work here is unlike what we have seen from her before. As Ilya, Boutella gives a phenomenal stripped back performance, one full of woe and fiery steel to protect her daughter at all costs. Ilya screams maternal instinct, going to some really uncomfortable lengths to shield Remmy from the horrors of the world. As Jerry, Ismael Cruz Córdova oozes menace and instability, and even during the instances when Jerry attempts to be nice, there’s an undercurrent of threat. Jerry is the obvious villain character, but he’s not cardboard cutout or pantomime bad-guy, there’s a sick twisted logic to his mission, which makes it even harder to watch his plans play out. Told across the years, there are two very capable actors that inhabit the role of Remmy. The younger version is played by Brooklynn Prince, the older by Nell Tiger Free. Both do brilliant work at linking the character through different time periods, sharing simple mannerisms and speech patterns that really help the viewer accept the change of cast member. Each has an emotional gauntlet to run through and both handle them with grace and gusto, creating a lead that the audience can really get behind. 

Settlers falls into the melancholic section of science-fiction, the whole film is tinged with a cold bleakness. It’s not a fun sci-fi romp, instead conceptualising some dark ideas and focusing on just what lengths we humans are capable of when pushed. The world of Rockefeller’s Settler’s is very much ‘kill or be killed’, so many of the characters have an uneasy mistrust of those around them and there’s a constant scent of bubbling violence in the air. Occasionally this bubbling boils over completely and the viewer is witness to some painful acts of viciousness – bloody and otherwise. Having such a consistent strand of menace permeate the piece means that Settlers really isn’t the easiest of films to watch. It challenges the viewer by posing questions that are not usually discussed in film. First feature it might be, Rockefeller proves himself as a mature presence behind the camera. Settlers presents an intense and distressing story made even more uncomfortable by the stellar performances of its cast.  

Settlers will be released on Digital Platforms on 30th July 2021.