Director Mattie Do is a trailblazing anomaly. She’s not just the first and only female filmmaker from Laos, she’s the first and only Laotian horror filmmaker. Just seven years ago she made her debut with Chanthaly, a ghostly slow burn that marked her a director to watch. Her sophomore effort, Dearest Sister, continued to play with slow burn horror while offering up an exploration of greed. In The Long Walk, Do presents her most accomplished feature yet as she blends time travel, the supernatural, and even a serial killer through a cultural lens. A unique, often unwieldy treatise on guilt and grief, this languorously paced parable is a genre mashup that offers a fascinating perspective that’s only marred by its sheer ambition.
Told in a nonlinear narrative, The Long Walk follows an elderly hermit (Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy) who discovers the ghost of a road accident victim can transport him back in time fifty years to the moment of his mother’s death. A painful moment from his childhood that burdens his life with perpetual sadness. Each time he’s propelled backward in time, he learns his attempts to change the past have consequences. Through karma and consequences, twists and turns, sometimes mistakes should exist to teach valuable lessons in life.
This film doesn’t reveal its answers easily or quickly; this is an unwieldy examination on grief and letting go. The nonlinear format and the way the narrative unfolds means the time travel elements can be inaccessible or tough to follow for those unwilling to pay close attention to the details. Or for those who have no patience for the slow, methodical way Do constructs the Old Man’s story. Time isn’t a flat circle here, but an endless loop. Do and screenwriter Christopher Larsen want to parcel out the narrative at a steady clip to offer up plenty of time for the viewer to contemplate.
Unlike Do’s previous efforts, the ghosts here aren’t spooky, but helpful representations of loss and letting go. Meaning that the horror elements are more human in nature, rather than supernatural. The cast, lead by Chanthalungsy, delivers great performances. Especially for not actually being performers at all. Save for some returning actors from Dearest Sister, much of these roles are filled by actors with no previous acting credits. Matthew Macar deserves a mention, too, for his stunning cinematography. This film might not always be easy to follow, but it is always beautiful to watch.
The Long Walk is the type of film guaranteed to be divisive. Untraditional, unhurried, and deeply personal, Do blends rural Buddhist tradition and sci-fi in an inimitable way. The horror elements are there, but not prominent enough to appease horror fans looking for standard fare. Time travel is wielded in an oft convoluted way that makes the dots difficult to connect in sequences, making for a puzzle that can be exhausting to solve. Still, there’s a lot charm to be found and a poignant message within. From her debut, Do was marked as a filmmaker to watch. Her third effort shows maturation and improvement that supports that claim. Her unique voice and heady themes won’t appeal to everyone, however.
