SXSW Film Festival 2023: UNTIL BRANCHES BEND

Until Branches Bend spoke to me the moment I read the synopsis. A pregnant woman attempts to convince her town of the dangers with an insect she found in a peach. As we run out our third year since the COVID-19 lockdown Until Branches Bend felt like it had the potential to be a deep psychological examination at its core of the human mind to accept and fight against the reality of destruction. With its release at this year’s South by Southwest film festival, Sophie Jarvis‘ latest was a must. Sadly, while it delivers an irresistible concept, it fails to truly come to life.

Curiosity of Humanity

The film begins strong, an angelic score giving the peaches on screen a larger-than-life feeling. The peaches are the lifeblood of the community, and as they are slowly submerged in water, Until Branches Bend crafts the feeling of an almost spiritual nature to them. As they work through the conveyor belt, the rigidity of the business surrounds them, their peachy glow and coloring contrasting the metallic and cold feel of the factory. This opening sequence is one of the best visually constructed moments in the film, creating intrigue and giving a framework to the importance of the fruit.

Robin (Grace Glowicki), a grader for the factory, stays behind while others leave for break, noticing a peach with a wormhole in it. As she opens the peach to investigate, a strange bug falls on the ground. What starts off as a regular day on the job, becomes an obsession that throws both Robin’s and the community’s lives into chaos. As Robin shows her boss the bug, it is concluded that it is nothing to worry about, Robin’s concern and the bug cast aside. Yet, there is a feeling in Robin that there is something more, a curiosity that can not be contained. The film works well to develop her obsession, crafting her insistence to identify the creature that can speak to all viewers.

Where I had expected the film to hone into the psychology of an impending disaster, I was intrigued to find the amount of time put into capturing the psychology of human curiosity. Robin just seems to know there is something different about the bug, lacking the confidence to push for others to listen, but having the confidence in herself to continue to pursue it even when others tell her it is pointless. The film is strongest in these moments, leaning into Robin as a celluloid capsulation of humanity.

A Rotten Peach

Yet, as dangerous as this bug might be and as concerned as Robin is, the film lacks a sense of urgency and tension. There is little fear audiences will feel with Robin. And other than her curiosity, there is little given to Robin to truly invest in her plight. With the film’s predictability, it makes it even harder to garner the investment it needs for audience engagement. Honestly, there is little to invest in any of the characters either. Too often, Until Branches Bend feels like its repertoire of characters is over-extended and underused. Some characters feel as though they are going to be central to the film, especially as it heads to its conclusion, yet they fall flat and remain underutilized and underdeveloped.

Parts of the narrative feel underused as well, many side stories enter that are never explored, explained or made to feel necessary. Robin’s pregnancy does little to the film – the same story could have been told without her being pregnant. At times, I think the inclusion of her pregnancy worked against the film and its central protagonist, making it more of a reason to believe she is afflicted rather than seeing early signs of disaster. This is further heightened as she is the only one who knows of her pregnancy, the information only weighing in for the audience. This is further extended to Robin’s sister Laney (Alexandra Roberts), who is frequently shown breaking into homes with her boyfriend, this portion of the story adding little to the overall idea – or resulting in a catalyst of consequences. It’s just… there.

With these unnecessary character developments and narrative components, much of the film feels like filler. This is even further compounded by the unrelenting amount of scenes where the characters just drive around. As the fillers pill up, Until Branches Bend begins to feel longer than its 98-minute run time, pushing the limits of its audience’s attention.

Conclusion

There is a story here, yet one that might have worked better as a short film. Until Branches Bend wants to be more than it is, leaving much to be desired. Its lackluster attempt to craft tension and urgency leaves its audience uninvested and without curiosity for more. Yet, as the film struggles throughout the majority of its runtime, it does deliver an intriguing look at the curiosity of humanity, all while bookending the film with stunning visual moments.

Until Branches Bend played at the SXSW Film Festival on March 13, 2023!

Watch Until Branches Bend