Ted Evans wrote and directed this engaging thriller that takes us inside the lives of Eva (Anne Zander) and Matt (James Joseph Boyle) when Eva joins Matt and a collection of deaf people living at a residence they know as Chilmark.

Under the watchful eye, and guidance of Mia (Sophie Stone), the residents are establishing a place for themselves away from those that hear. Eva is encouraged to take an educational path known as The Way, something that Matt, who has been raised on the compound, has never been allowed to do.

It doesn’t take long to realize that Eva has joined up with a cult. They have rules, guidelines, rituals, and there is something more going on as lies are spread, and secrets kept.

As Eva is drawn deeper, Matt wants more and more to get away, to experience the outside world. He is an outsider in his own community of self-proclaimed outsiders, and they won’t let him in.

Why?

Through the twists and turns of the story, an ominous aural soundscape keeps the viewers on edge.

It’s a bold new thriller unlike any you’ve seen, and it keeps you wrapped in its narrative until the final frame, when you realize it really couldn’t end any other way.

Zander and Boyle are terrific, and there is a lot of unnerving moments for the characters as the viewer tries to figure out what is going on, and when the horrible truth is realized, it’s shocking, and inescapable.

Smartly crafted, I found Retreat engaging, thrilling, and completely engrossing.

Retreat screens one last time at the festival on Sunday at the Scotiabank at 9:10am.