“Come True” 2021 Reel Review (Short) – Super Mind Trip!!

When I watched Come True, Anthony Scott Burns’s highly atmospheric Sci-Fi Horror film, I was going in with no expectations. And, having not watched any previews nor read any reviews, I really had no idea what I was getting into.

Getting the full experience, I believe Come True can easily be the most mind-trippiest Sci-Fi horror of 2021. Being a low-budget indie film, wrought with dreamlike flow and presentation, and a heavy shroud of creepy, I was thoroughly satisfied.

If you plan to watch Come True, make sure you are ready for a slower build-up with a TON of synthesizer and wildly bold visuals. To me the slowness in any part of this movie only exemplified the experience it takes you on. A lot of this movie reminds me of David Cronenberg’s Possessor Uncut (see my review at this link), only without the hyper violent and bloody scenes. And just the same as PossessorUncut, it could quickly become a psychological horror cult classic.

The quick and dirty:

Sarah Dunne (Julia Sarah Stone) is a runaway teenager who is having extremely dark sketchy nightmares. So much so, that she struggles to get any decent sleep. Her nightmares are absolutely what drives this movie into the horror realm. They are not fast, bloody, or gory by any means. They are eerie and very unsettling, which has such impact throughout the entirety of the movie. Her dreams always seem to zero in on a specific dark human form with bright gleaming eyes.

Sarah decides to join a sleep study in hopes of rectifying her sleep issues. Here we are introduced to Jeremy (Landon Liboiron) who is working with the group of scientists forming the study. We don’t find out until later in the movie what the study is truly about as they give no explanation to the group of volunteers. What they are attempting to discover turns out to be a concept I imagine most every person has thought about at some point in their lives.

Shortly thereafter, the figure from her nightmares begins to appear in her waking hours. Later in the movie she discovers she isn’t alone in her visions of these dark beings. Jeremy has had similar occurrences and is the sole motivation of his working with the other Scientists in the sleep study. Sarah and Jeremy quickly become intertwined as they try to figure out the source of their nightmares. It feels as though they are starting to run out of time as the threat from the unknown shadow figures amplifies.

As my title implies, this is a shorter review than my usual blathering. But I really wanted to share this movie with everyone as a great mind-twisting experience. As mentioned above, too, you’ll want to be in a focused mental state for Come True. Wait to watch it if you are looking for anything fast-paced, shallow in story depth, action-packed, gory, or mindless. Be prepared to be taken on a deliberately paced journey into dreams, nightmares, and the depth of the human psyche.

To that point, I was watching Come True very intently, and I still wanted to look up to see what the ending of the film really meant. The layers and twists can be a little confusing at times. In my research I landed on several good pages and articles, but this one from thecinemaholic.com made me truly fall in love with the overall gravity and concept of Come True: here’s the link, but only go there AFTER you’ve watched the movie.

I really loved the methodical trancelike cinematography, overall eeriness, and creepy pace of Come True. Julia Sarah Stone’s performance is spectacular as the terrified and confused teen seeking answers in a horrifying setting. The others in the film did a great job as well, although there aren't many in this one. Come True engages all the senses a movie can, with its stunning imagery, sounds, mood, and emotions.

I recommend Come True to anyone searching for a potential cult classic in the Sci-Fi realm, and has an hour and forty-five minutes to really attune their mind to something very abstract.

Come True

Released: 3/12/2021

Rating: Unrated

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi

Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Director: Anthony Scott Burns (Holidays “Father’s Day” segment, Our House)

Writer: Anthony Scott Burns (Holidays “Father’s Day” segment) Daniel Weissenberger (Butchers)

Stars:

Julia Sarah Stone as Sarah Dunne (Honey Bee, Allure)

Landon Liboiron as Jeremy (Truth or Dare, Frontier series)

Carlee Ryski as Anita (On the Rocks)

IMDB Rating: 6.0 out of 10