Sator | Film Review

Over the past year, many films have been released where the focal point of the story occurs deep in the recesses of the backwoods. Attribute it to the fiscally responsible nature of a pre-existing set, or simply to the naturally unsettling undertones the remoteness of the true wilderness unleashes underneath its quiet beauty. Isolation and paranoid feed off of this cryptic backdrop, and if you toss in a hint of a supernatural legend as with Sator, you could be in for a treat.

Adam (Gabriel Nicholson) effaces his vernacular almost entirely as he seemingly relegates himself to sporadically silent hunts in the deep woods. We learn rather quickly that his brother and sister, Pete and Evie (Michael Daniel and Rachel Johnson), live nearby and – though obviously slightly estranged – visit him on occasion to check on his well-being. Initially, his existence in a run-down cabin seems apropos of many hunters of his kind.

Adam’s grandmother, Nani (June Peterson, director Jordan Graham’s late grandmother), we come to learn has had a bout of mental illness. Several of her “interviews” permeate throughout the film as Nani explains her belief that she is being haunted by a benevolent spirit or demon known as Sator. What we once believed to be Adam’s preparation for a hunt proves to instead be a pursuit of his own, one for the elusive living nightmare that is Sator.

One thing is certain, the backstory to Sator as a film is riveting simply on its own merits. Writer-director Jordan Graham (who also almost does seemingly everything else in this film) draws from his grandmother and other family members’ own experiences with mental illness, voices, and the “one” they call Sator. Graham uses personal family drama to inject his film with a heightened level of intensity, which is only accentuated by knowing much of the background stems from true events.

Graham has a knack for atmosphere, as dread drips from every branch and frame of Sator. From the very first minute, you become immersed in the building direness of Adam’s situation, despite very little dialogue to help you along. As the story winds in-and-out of narrative flow, Graham refuses to spoon feed his audience what it all means, leaving much ambiguity up to our own dissection once the final credits roll (and do stay through the entirety of the final scroll).

The only real struggle of this film is the sluggish pacing and “slow burn” approach Graham chooses to allow his story to unravel by. All of the pieces are here, and it’s an impressive debut from a filmmaker obviously putting it all on the line for his film, but far too much of Sator could have been tightened up for a more complete, immersive experience.

The atmosphere, command of story, and the performances he extracts from his unknown actors – Nicholson especially – demonstrates that Jordan Graham deserves a film of a greater canvas. Sator is a personal achievement of Graham, whose backstory and beginnings are infinitely fascinating, and serves as an auspicious tale from a director to keep an eye on.

Follow our further discussion on Sator via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: