Caddo Lake is a 2024 American thriller film written and directed by Celine Held and Logan George. It stars Dylan O'Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Diana Hopper, Caroline Falk, Sam Hennings, Eric Lange, and Lauren Ambrose. M. Night Shyamalan serves as a producer under his Blinding Edge Pictures company.
| Caddo Lake | |
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 Release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Lowell A. Meyer |
| Edited by | Logan George |
| Music by | David Baloche |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Max |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film was released on Max on October 10, 2024.
Plot
editThe story centers on Ellie, a teenager who constantly fights with her mother and has left home to stay at a friend's, and a 20-something man named Paris who was in the car with his mother when she drove off a bridge. She died but he escaped the car.
Ellie, her mother, step-father, and step-sister live near Caddo Lake, a mysterious body of water in Louisiana/Texas. Ellie's 8-year-old stepsister, Anna, vanishes one night while near the lake. The family and community begin searching for her. Ellie goes searching for Anna on a portion of the lake where the water has receded and she can walk on the now dry lake bed. When returning to land and going back to her mother's home, she discovers she is now 3 days in the past. In a panic, she returns to the lake and finds Anna, but this is one month in the past when Anna had run off before. It turns out that Caddo Lake has a time displacement phenomenon that activates when water levels drop. Ellie goes back to the lake again in the hope of finding Anna a second time.
Meanwhile, Paris is attempting to find out what caused his mother to have a seizure and drive off the bridge. Paris works dredging the lake and one day he has an odd experience where he sees footprints on the dry part of the lake and he loses his hearing. When he returns to his boat, he finds a necklace stuck in the motor. It is the necklace his mother owned. Paris's former girlfriend returns and they rekindle their relationship but she doubts his story about there being a mystery of the lake.
The stories converge when Paris returns to the lake and goes through portals that take him to 1952. There he finds a wounded Anna and gets her help before attempting to get back to his own time, 2003. Instead, he ends up in 2022, Ellie's time.
Meanwhile, Ellie travels to 2005 and when she is in a grocery store parking lot, she sees a necklace hanging on a car mirror that matches her own mother's necklace. It was a necklace that Anna was wearing when she went missing. She breaks into the car to get the necklace and the car's owner arrives and attacks her, trying to get the necklace back. Ellie asks where the necklace came from and the woman says it belonged to her missing boyfriend's mother, Anna Lang. Ellie realizes the woman she is talking to is her own mother, Celeste, and the baby Celeste is holding is herself. Ellie runs off and finds an internet cafe. By looking up Anna Lang and looking at old photos, she realizes that her step-sister Anna is actually her grandmother. She goes back to the lake to return home.
Meanwhile, in 2022, Paris is found in Ellie's boat, which she had tied up before traveling to the past. He is arrested as a suspect in Anna's disappearance. He sees a news report with a photo of Anna and realizes the girl he saved in the past was his own mother. He escapes from the police but drowns while trying to return to portal home. Ellie returns to 2022 and realizes the stepfather she has been fighting with is actually her great grandfather. She returns home to find her mother, in shock, watching a news report about Paris's escape and death. There is a photo of Paris and the authorities are asking for help identifying him. Ellie shows Anna's school picture from 1952 and embraces her mom, explaining that neither Anna nor Paris meant to leave them.
Cast
edit- Dylan O'Brien as Paris
- Eliza Scanlen as Ellie
- Caroline Falk as Anna
- Lauren Ambrose as Celeste
- Eric Lange as Daniel
- Sam Hennings as Ben
- Diana Hopper as Cee
Production
editCaddo Lake is a thriller film written and directed by filmmaking duo Celine Held and Logan George. In August 2021, Dylan O'Brien and Eliza Scanlen were in talks to star in the film, then titled Vanishings,[2] and a casting call was released, revealing M. Night Shyamalan would produce under his production company Blinding Edge Pictures.[3] By October 2021, O'Brien and Scanlen were set to star in the film, which had been retitled to The Vanishings at Caddo Lake, and Lauren Ambrose, Eric Lange, Sam Hennings, and Diana Hopper had joined the cast, with filming beginning on October 4 in Shreveport, Louisiana.[4][5] Held and George sought 1998–2004 period-specific vehicles from locals in order to produce an authentic feel to the story's community.[6] Filming wrapped on November 18, 2021.[1] By May 2023, the title was shortened to Caddo Lake.[7]
Release
editReception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A windingly intricate and delirious sci-fi thrill ride washes over the senses and steadily flows through Caddo Lake."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production: The Vanishings at Caddo Lake". Variety Insight. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ Fisher, Jacob (August 18, 2021). "Dylan O'Brien and Eliza Scanlen in talks to star in 'Vanishings'". DiscussingFilm. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Veigel, Wyndi (August 22, 2021). "Film to be shot at Caddo Lake sets casting call for local talent". Longview News-Journal. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 4, 2021). "M. Night Shyamalan's Blinding Edge Pictures To Produce 'Vanishings At Caddo Lake' From Directing Duo Celine Held And Logan George". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Shyamalan, M. Night (October 4, 2021). Today, the shooting begins on 'The Vanishings at Caddo Lake'. It's a film written and directed by Celine Held & Logan George. They are the most lovely couple who wrote a mind-bending emotional thriller. I believe in it. I am funding it. Hopefully one day you all will see it. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Boucher, Makenzie (October 21, 2021). "Caddo Lake Film is looking for extras and period-specific cars". Shreveport Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Squires, John (May 25, 2023). "'Caddo Lake' – M. Night Shyamalan-Produced Thriller Rated PG-13 for "Disturbing/Bloody Images"". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (September 5, 2024). "Max Unveils Premiere Date, Teaser For Thriller 'Caddo Lake' Produced By M. Night Shyamalan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Caddo Lake". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "Caddo Lake". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "Caddo Lake (2024)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
External links
edit- Caddo Lake at IMDb
