Cults have an air of mystery and intrigue to them, making them a prime topic for popular media over the years. In particular, horror films and thrillers seem to revel in this concept, bringing people’s inherent fear of the unknown and psychological manipulation into the spotlight. Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite’s cult-themed thriller The Aviary focuses on the latter, and it’s a mixed bag of small successes and larger failures that leaves the audience empty-handed.
Jillian (Malin Akerman) and Blair (Lorenza Izzo) are escaping a cult that has had a stronghold on their lives for far too long. They flee to the New Mexican desert to avoid detection, but they can’t shake the paranoia and fear that follows their every footstep. Each woman has her own way of coping with the hardships they’ve endured, but it’s ever-present and a constant roadblock for their recovery. Their cult leader, an affluent tech guru named Seth (Chris Messina), has affected them to the core. As rations grow thin and the prospect of survival grows bleaker, their brainwashed minds slowly begin to play tricks on them until the lines between fantasy and reality completely blur. Will Jillian and Blair manage to make it out safely before they become their own worst enemies?
Akerman and Izzo command every scene in this four-actor film. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the differences in their personalities are both immediately apparent and a pleasure to watch. Jillian has a more laid-back approach to the escape with a “know-it-all” essence from her former Girl Scout days, while Blair is far more on edge about their dire situation from the start. Despite their minor spats about which direction to walk in order to get to their target destination, a genuine care for each other inspired by their collective trauma always prevails. The problem is this same formula gets old after 90 minutes of watching the same two people, and not enough happens between them plotwise to maintain interest.
The same holds true for the way their mental disturbances are handled throughout the film. While the women may be physically distant from their abuser, he never really left either of them. From nightmares to hallucinations, Seth haunts every waking moment of their lives, and despite this providing a source of tension at first, the sense of conflict it creates slowly devolves into a norm where the audience begins to suspect what they’re seeing is a hallucination, followed by someone verifying that suspicion in scenes that become tedious. When one automatically second-guesses every other occurrence in the film, the novelty wears off quickly. In turn, the idea of the mind as an enemy grows more stale by the minute here.
Had another concept been introduced into the mix, then there might have been enough for The Aviary to be compelling. Perhaps if more satisfying revenge were exacted or a more active pursuit of the women evoked a sense of urgency, then the plot would have been gripping enough to garner attention. As it stands, however, it’s a decent-looking film with some respectable actors, but a mostly flimsy and redundant story holding it all together.
--Andrea Riley
