Chalet Lizette Brannan

Ambitious, disturbing, sincere and thought provoking are only a few of the words to describe Strange Nature, an unexpected gem of a film from writer-director, James Ojala. The assigned genre of “ecological thriller” is an apt description for this unique movie experience that stands apart from any other independent production you’ll see this year. It has been quite a while since a film I was assigned to review created an emotional response like Strange Nature got out of me. I’ve admired a premise, cringed from horrific violence and chuckled at some extreme nonsense, but to fight back tears based on legitimately well acted human relationships is a rarity for which I cannot contain my praise. Kudos to Mr. Ojala, his cast and crew on their fine work. These may seem like lofty expectations to set in front of potential viewers, especially when the plot of the film can be described in its most base form as contaminated water creates mutants in a small town, but the nuance with which the