Significant Other (2022)

Score: 3.5 / 5

Another low-budget horror movie dropped unceremoniously on streaming (Paramount+), Significant Other is a pretty slow, familiar film that probably won't pique much interest from casual viewers. This, in my opinion, is the immense danger of direct-to-streaming releases. But for those who like the leading actors or the concept, or just want an old fashioned 90-ish-minute parable, Significant Other has boons in unexpected places. It won't land on any Top Ten lists of the year, but it capably and satisfyingly accomplishes what it sets out to do, which seems to be to scare us of the deep dark woods, of body snatching alien monsters, and of the dangers of committing to the person you love.

Ruth and Harry have been together for six years but remain unmarried. The film starts with them going on a camping trip in the Pacific Northwest, something Harry has long wanted to do together. Their dynamic is warm and comfortable, though Ruth seems to harbor significant anxiety. It helps that they're played by attractive and eminently likable young stars Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Guest, Greta, Watcher, Mark Felt) and Jake Lacy (Being the Ricardos, Obvious Child, Carol, Miss Sloane, The White Lotus), playing heavily into their interpersonal chemistry. When Harry proposes marriage to Ruth, she rejects him, accusing him of changing their relationship with labels when they had apparently previously agreed not to get married. She's got some baggage to unpack regarding traumas in her past and her parents' failed marriage, and the little blue pills she pops regularly don't seem to be enough.

Their fight is tense, both because of the raw emotions and because they are now stuck in the wild together in a disappointed, less-than-romantic headspace. The gloomy, rainy forest seems aptly chosen as the setting for their miserable trip, and as they hike, Ruth in particular seems to be aware that they are not alone in the woods. She glances around, curious and hesitant, staring into the space between trees as if willing an escape route to manifest. But when they discover a dead deer, covered in dark slime, her fears multiply. Shortly after investigating a cave in the forest, she tells Harry she has reconsidered his proposal and wants him to ask again; it's such an abrupt about-face that we're almost as shocked as Harry. They trek back to the scenic overlook site but, instead of accepting his proposal, Ruth pushes him off the cliff to his death.

I don't really want to spoil what happens afterward too much, but just know that there are indeed aliens and doubling that would make Hitchcock gleeful and weird reverse psychology that makes up the climax. It all reads a bit like a film student's master's thesis, but with a handsome budget for cinematographer and lead actors. It's not really "about" the body snatching or impending invasion (oops, maybe I'm spoiling things after all), as the heart of the film is very much with Harry and especially Ruth, who is forced to lean into her mental illness and disorders in order to combat the threat and survive. That, and with the concept of humans being the only sentient creatures in the universe who can love, makes the film's title a wonderfully clever play on the themes explored here. Significant Other serves some fascinating spins on worn-out tropes mixed into a glorified B-movie, and frankly it's a fine addition to your horror watchlist this or any year.