To get away from the stress of everyday life and crowded city life, the idea of taking a vacation in an uninhabited, forested area surrounded by nature would probably be very appealing to everyone. When I think of it as a movie, the expectation of a unique adventure with spectacular natural landscapes, silence and tranquility, where all the advantages of primitive life can be seen outweighs.
After watching the 2023 movie Summoning the Spirit, I am preoccupied with the feeling that once again the thesis that when expectations are high, they do not match reality has been proven correct.
One thing is for sure, given the crowded world population, there is no such thing as a quiet, calm place. It is easy to aim to be alone, but it seems quite difficult to realize it. Everywhere someone somehow manages to get out, or there are many people who aim to be alone, but we are not aware of it.
Summoning the Spirit has a story with a significant difference between what it promises and what it delivers. When a couple's search for a quiet, tranquil and nature-friendly place to spend their most difficult time comes to an end, the story suddenly evolves and takes on a whole new dimension.
The séances, the cult, the shenanigans and rivalries of the cult members, the attempts to gain new followers were a disappointment when what I thought was a very good story suddenly became the new agenda of the movie. When it takes until halfway through the movie to understand the difference between expectation and reality, it becomes an instinctive obligation to complete the movie.
The narrative of the cult and the events surrounding it may be interesting to some. I don't blame them for being added to the story, but if you are making a movie of this kind, you have to create and project tension and fear in some way. That tension and fear could not be created at any point in the movie, nor could it be expected to reflect something that doesn't exist.
I found the story of the movie a failure and the performances of the director and the actors quite inadequate. What exists is a couple wanting to be alone with their problems in a quiet, peaceful woodland. What happens is that it becomes a place where a fledgling cult performs its rituals and propaganda.
I don't recommend you to watch Summoning the Spirit, I think it's a below average production. In such a beautiful setting, at least a few nature scenes could have been used to give a memorable and good impression, but those who shot the movie were far from that.