disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

THE MILL -- A Relatable Sci-Fi Allegory

10/6/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Jonathan Berk
Picture
Director Sean King O’Grady’s new film, The Mill, couldn’t be dropping at a better time. Employees have been voicing frustrations with working conditions for the last few years, and 2023 has seen some major unions go on strike. While some metaphors are a little on the nose, O’Grady’s film explores the relationship between an employee and their employer through an engaging sci-fi story.  

Lil Rel Howery is a businessman who wakes up in an open-air prison cell with no recollection of how he got there. A lone voice of the person in the adjacent cell tells him he has to do the work. In the middle of the cell is an ancient grist mill, and Howery is forced to work as a beast of burden to avoid termination. He must find a way to escape the daily grind before the birth of his child.

Howery is solo for most of the story. He’s isolated, and besides some flashbacks, the film mostly falls on his shoulder to carry it all. Howery often has a rambling, nervous energy when delivering dialogue, and that style is utilized a lot. Unlike Hulu’s other recent Sci-Fi release, No One Will Save You, which opts to have no dialogue, Howery doesn’t care that he’s alone, voicing all his thoughts and emotions throughout the film. His style works well with this delivery mechanism, as it somehow feels natural for this character to be uttering all the things to no one in particular.
Picture
While the set is minimalist, the visuals in the film are not. O’Grady’s style helps make what could have been a bleak and boring film look a little more interesting. There are moments where we see through Howery’s eyes in flashback, while other times we are made aware of his mental state through the lighting of the scene. O’Grady has a strong grasp of the medium and the genre, and uses it to tell the story and keep it interesting.

There are many films that have tackled some topics and themes found in The Mill. The Platform, Snowpiercer, Moon, Sorry to Bother You, and The Family Man all come to mind while watching Howery struggle to push that big stone wheel. He’s reminded of his pregnant wife and wants to be a good husband and father. He has made so many sacrifices to provide his family with the best life possible. He's true company man who now finds himself being asked to give just a little more. In some ways, it’s hard to imagine a more 2023 movie. 

While not every aspect of the film works, the combination of Howery’s performance, O’Grady’s direction, and Seamus Tierney’s cinematography make The Mill a compelling watch. The allegorical nature of the film is often a tad too easy to make real-world connections, which sometimes makes moments feel a little silly. Still, something is being said that many of us lower-middle-class individuals will likely connect with. 

The Mill is streaming on Hulu on October 9. 

Rating: 3.5/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About