Kryptic

Forests are steeped in mystery whether through monsters, spirits, or places where time itself seems to bend. In Kryptic, a young woman sets out to find someone who has gone missing, but her journey is also a search for a mythical creature known as the Sooka. What she discovers changes her perhaps irreversibly.

What follows is a nightmarish patchwork of strange characters, surreal situations, and disturbing visions. Haunting visuals nudge the film into cosmic horror territory, where meaning is elusive and reality is unstable. Chloe Pirrie delivers a world-weary, restrained performance that grounds the high strangeness, even as the story begins to unravel in ways that defy logic. But that’s part of the point. We’re seeing the world as she does, losing our grip right alongside her.

Kryptic marks a hypnotic feature debut from director Kourtney Roy. It won’t be for everyone, but those who value the journey over the destination, and who don’t mind getting a little lost in the woods may find something quietly unforgettable here.