This film is rather confusing in the respect that a serious mental health disorder is sort of skirted over and not really addressed in an honest way. The female leads are quite interesting characters, but most of the others are a bit one dimensional and dull - and the acting isn't exactly award winning either. What seems to start as an original and interesting premise, fails to deliver as we follow an ever more bazaar set of circumstances which unfold very slowly before our eyes in what can only be described as a totally unrealistic mess. Slow, boring and at times rather confusing, this tale isn't going to be everyone's 'Cup of Tea' and if you're looking for a realistic interpretation of mental illness or the circumstances the characters find themselves in - prepare for disappointment. Personally, I had high hopes for this title and was annoyed that it missed the opportunity to deliver by a mile.
18 Reviews
A stumbling and awkwardly paced so called thriller
Robert_duder27 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
When I read the description for Big Sky, I jumped all over it. I love a good survival thriller and the cast sounded good and the concept sounded like it couldn't possibly go wrong. Of course this is an indie film appealing to critics and artsy types so I should have known it would be anything but conventional. Big Sky is slow. That is the biggest issue with it. It is some sort of character study focusing on a young girl with a lot of mental health issues like agoraphobia and Obsessive Compulsive disorder trying to survive and get help after her mother and co-travellers are shot and left for dead by some criminals. The plot is really a mess and nothing really makes a lot of sense and a lot of plot points are left unanswered including (unless I dozed off and missed it) the entire point of why the gunman are doing this. At the very least the makers of this owe the audience a decent explanation as to the motive for this brutal crime and you get nothing. The characters are very underdeveloped and empty and the best thing about the film are that the two main characters are played by strong actresses and the setting of the desert actually adds an element of intrigue to it.
Bella Thorne plays the agoraphobic girl heading to a treatment centre. Thorne was really terrific in Blended last year and since then she seems to be popping up everywhere. This might have been a decent role for her but the characters are really poorly written. Still Thorne is good enough to keep your attention and she tries to utilize what they give her as best as possible. Kyra Sedgwick is her Mom who has been shot and desperately fight for her life. Sedgwick is appropriately intense and certainly tries her best as well. She has good chemistry with Thorne and without them this film would have been a total fail. Frank Grillo and Aaron Tveit are completely wasted as the "bad guys." They have this bizarre relationship and a complex back and forth between them but there is no background given and we don't understand their motives and Grillo should have been given far more to work with as he is a great character actor.
Jorge Michel Grau has had a few small credits to his name and I'm sorry to say that this does nothing for his name. There isn't even a style that I can speak to here and I think he doesn't handle his cast well at all. I'm not even sure how I sat through it for so long but I had to know how it would end because naturally I assumed all the answers left outstanding would be solved and they aren't. The ending is strange and out there and leaves you feeling completely unsatisfied. For a film that reads really well it ends up feeling more like a letdown. It isn't a thriller or a drama and I'm not sure where it belongs. Its a dud unfortunately. 4/10
Bella Thorne plays the agoraphobic girl heading to a treatment centre. Thorne was really terrific in Blended last year and since then she seems to be popping up everywhere. This might have been a decent role for her but the characters are really poorly written. Still Thorne is good enough to keep your attention and she tries to utilize what they give her as best as possible. Kyra Sedgwick is her Mom who has been shot and desperately fight for her life. Sedgwick is appropriately intense and certainly tries her best as well. She has good chemistry with Thorne and without them this film would have been a total fail. Frank Grillo and Aaron Tveit are completely wasted as the "bad guys." They have this bizarre relationship and a complex back and forth between them but there is no background given and we don't understand their motives and Grillo should have been given far more to work with as he is a great character actor.
Jorge Michel Grau has had a few small credits to his name and I'm sorry to say that this does nothing for his name. There isn't even a style that I can speak to here and I think he doesn't handle his cast well at all. I'm not even sure how I sat through it for so long but I had to know how it would end because naturally I assumed all the answers left outstanding would be solved and they aren't. The ending is strange and out there and leaves you feeling completely unsatisfied. For a film that reads really well it ends up feeling more like a letdown. It isn't a thriller or a drama and I'm not sure where it belongs. Its a dud unfortunately. 4/10
lacks tension or thrills
SnoopyStyle17 August 2017
Hazel (Bella Thorne) suffers from debilitating agoraphobia. Her mother Dee (Kyra Sedgwick) takes her to a desert treatment center. She is transported in a box inside a van along with other passengers. Suddenly, the van is attacked by sibling bandits and a girl is kidnapped. In order to save her dying mother, Hazel faces her fears to find help.
Not enough happens to make this thrilling. The characters are split up. They set up something but more needs to be done with it. It climaxes with a convoluted Mexican standoff. Much of it is unreasonable but mostly, it lacks tension or thrills.
Not enough happens to make this thrilling. The characters are split up. They set up something but more needs to be done with it. It climaxes with a convoluted Mexican standoff. Much of it is unreasonable but mostly, it lacks tension or thrills.
Very boring, but I am now an Aaron Tveit fan.
poopheaded4 March 2016
I watched this movie because I stumbled upon it and thought "why not?" and let me tell you it was SO BORING. It kind of just went on and on. The scenes were dragged out and the plot was incredibly slow. And Bella Thorne disappointed me. Had it not been stated in the movie, I might not have known that she had agoraphobia -- she was scared at all the wrong points and fine at all the wrong points. On the up side, I thought Aaron Tveit and Frank Grillo were FANTASTIC, especially Aaron Tveit. I felt like he gave his character a personality that I sympathized with when the script offered so little for him to work from, and his disorder was so believable. I must say, I was incredibly impressed with his performance. I was less impressed with the movie overall.
Soooooooooo Sllloooooooowwwww
ShazaliSharaini6 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Not good. Spoiler!
OK, we understand you have issues... being agoraphobic and all,.. but, as soon as you see people, you gotta tell them quickly that your mom got shot.
I don't know if there are people like this. She walks slowly, yeah, OK, because she's afraid being outside.
But when seeing the first real person, she acts like "Oh, look! A shirtless village idiot! Is he real or a mirage! Oh, he's real all right, and he says he's got a bike. Looks like he's stone and he's blabbering about someone named Eve. Let's entertain him and I will just limp along...Hey, waitaminute... I am not agoraphobic anymore!" Urgh... If you still want to check it out, be my guest. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Unless, you have insomnia!
OK, we understand you have issues... being agoraphobic and all,.. but, as soon as you see people, you gotta tell them quickly that your mom got shot.
I don't know if there are people like this. She walks slowly, yeah, OK, because she's afraid being outside.
But when seeing the first real person, she acts like "Oh, look! A shirtless village idiot! Is he real or a mirage! Oh, he's real all right, and he says he's got a bike. Looks like he's stone and he's blabbering about someone named Eve. Let's entertain him and I will just limp along...Hey, waitaminute... I am not agoraphobic anymore!" Urgh... If you still want to check it out, be my guest. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Unless, you have insomnia!
Does Not Accurately Depict Agoraphobia
vla-4450812 November 2017
As someone who suffers from agoraphobia, the fear of open spaces, this movie does NOT depict it well at all. First off, the blinds in the truck would of been well enough to get across the desert--if someone had the nerve to even ride across a desert with this disorder anyway. We may be afraid of open spaces, but we sure aren't going to be putting ourselves in a tight box either to avoid it. Another thing, they should of interviewed an actual agoraphobe and had them work with Bella to get the acting right. If one of us found ourselves in the desert, we would be doing one of two things--standing frozen still with our palms slightly out and them sweating, while occasionally making jerky movements in response to any noises, etc happening, or moving quickly to the nearest thing we can grasp on to. Tunnel vision for us is NOT to the ground. It would be to whatever object we can be finding some safe solace from, as we quickly make our way to it to grasp on to it as though our lives depended on it. When someone has agoraphobia, they feel as though gravity is going to give out and they will lose all control of their body and environment. We feel as though we will be lost to the sky. We can literally feel the air that surrounds us to a degree most people will never understand, because our senses become that aware when we are in these types of environments and are on edge. If they wanted to depict this, they should of focused on the sky, the vast open space of the desert that goes on and on...the frantic glancing around looking for something to run and cling onto. They should of focused on her hands, held out and sweating--used some sort of sound effect to symbolize the vast openness surrounding her. There was so much that they could of done to make this movie actually about her battling agoraphobia, but they didn't. If they didn't mention she was an agoraphobe in the movie, then there is not one thing that actually depicted her being one. She just looks as though she had some other disorder.
Im so confused
neshasouthport-113 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
So..i found this movie on Netflix and thought why not.I haven't see any Bella Thorne movies beside commercials for Disney before. So it probably wont be terrible? And of course I was really loving it, when I realized the "Closer" was in this movie.
I'm basically in between about this movie because it seems pretty interesting when they are giving you clues to piece together. Also, it was nice seeing emotional side with the mother-daughter relationship and Hazel trying to overcoming her struggle . But, then some questions are never answered. It's really confusing. Why were they attacked? Why kidnapped that "klepto girl? What were with the water flashbacks? What was the point of the crazy guy in the desert? So, basically in the end, I am just wondering what is going on in this movie?
I'm basically in between about this movie because it seems pretty interesting when they are giving you clues to piece together. Also, it was nice seeing emotional side with the mother-daughter relationship and Hazel trying to overcoming her struggle . But, then some questions are never answered. It's really confusing. Why were they attacked? Why kidnapped that "klepto girl? What were with the water flashbacks? What was the point of the crazy guy in the desert? So, basically in the end, I am just wondering what is going on in this movie?
I even watched specifically to spite viewer reviews
beauwolsky11 February 2016
I wanted so badly to like this movie. I read nothing but bad things but said, screw it people have awful taste and it sounds like a thriller. I am currently watching this movie ( about 20 min left) and I'm SO BORED I can barely stand it. 😞 I don't mind the acting, honestly it was just OK, especially with some big names. People definitely didn't understand a few of the psychological/emotional things that were creatively expressed in the movie which I especially found promising in the beginning when I saw a few of them. But still, the lack of literally any emotional or psychological "oomph" in this movie made me want to switch to another one at several points (and I definitely would have if I wasn't on a time crunch) I wanted to prove 'em wrong... This one proved them right
Not bad for a "B" film
prolinesvs17 August 2015
Without Kyra Sedgwick and Bella Thorne, this film would not be worth watching. Although it contains a fair amount of suspense, it is very hard to follow. The male characters, including Frank Grillo, stumble through the dialogue. A little more "realistic" action would have been great. I give this film a six out of ten rating because of the fantastic desert scenery, and the female cast. I would have liked for the film to go a little more in depth as far as what treatment is available for the condition that afflicted the actress Bella Thorne. Not too many people are familiar with "Agoraphobia" and how serious it can be. All being said, I would watch this film a second time, and would probably enjoy it more.
Frustratingly slow and unnatural
original-apparel7 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I have so many problems with the story. First, this girl, Hazel, is an extreme agoraphobic to the point that she would not go down to the downstairs of her home to eat, BUT she's ok to go to the middle of nowhere in a wide open space without a tree or building on site. Ok she was in a box. She gets out of the box with little to no anxiety. Secondly, her mother has been shot and is bleeding to death. Does she panic? Not at all. She calmly looks through the first aid kit. WTF?!?! Then rather than attempting to drive her mom to get her help, they automatically assume that the van is not drivable and must walk. Thirdly, this extreme agoraphobic manages to walk the wide open land pussy footing while her mom bleeds to death. She continuously takes her meds before the previous dose has had time to work. Keep in mind when she takes the last dose, does she panic that there are no more meds? Nooo! Then fourthly, this motorcycle rider vagabond find her in the middle of nowhere about a miles from where his bike presumably had been totally disassembled, with hardly any tools btw. So when he stumbles upon her, does she frantically tell him that her mother is bleeding to death and she needs help ASAP? Nooo! She's calm, cool and collected. She strolles back with him casually. Next, high noon turns into night, but keep in mind the entire story revolves around a six mile trip to civilization, the Fort destination. But when the couple from the Fort drive Hazel back to her mother it was sunny but apparently the six mile trip takes hours and they reach her by night. Lastly, the standoff was anti-climatic. Here is where they could have used tension and suspense before the shootout, which BTW, we didn't even see because they chose the easy way out and showed Hazel covering her face while it all went down off screen. That's it I'm done!
Surrealistic and funny
samis-552-1691531 October 2018
Usually you see right at the beginning if the movie is a good one. Well, this had the right feel to it. Good acting and sceneries, a confidently flowing script.
The action in the kidnapping scene was a little confusing, it was jumpy, it didn't feel "real". I slowly started to realize that this is not a thriller, really. It's a surrealistic and stream of consciousness kind of piece and quite a funny one. In the desert scenes with Thorne and Arnaud I was laughing out loud. And thereafter as well.
The only thing I don't understand is why this was marketed as a thriller, and not as Cohen-style black humor.
At times a little slow, therefore only 8.
The action in the kidnapping scene was a little confusing, it was jumpy, it didn't feel "real". I slowly started to realize that this is not a thriller, really. It's a surrealistic and stream of consciousness kind of piece and quite a funny one. In the desert scenes with Thorne and Arnaud I was laughing out loud. And thereafter as well.
The only thing I don't understand is why this was marketed as a thriller, and not as Cohen-style black humor.
At times a little slow, therefore only 8.
"Big Sky": Liked The Setting at any rate...
jtncsmistad7 March 2016
From thequickflickcritic.blogspot.com/
I am forever a sucker for movies set in the wide open expanse of the American west. This penchant is what sucked me into seeing the low budget dramatic thriller "Big Sky".
Now admittedly I don't know what severe agoraphobia looks like. But I imagine that Bella Thorne does a pretty damn good job of depicting how this insidious psychological affliction debilitates and paralyzes those who can not bear interaction with the outside world. And Kyra Sedgwick as her less-than-model yet loving mom and the consummate acting pro is first-rate despite being rendered incapacitated early on in the proceedings. There's your propers, kids. The rest of "Big Sky" is so implausible, inexplicable or just downright impossible it loses it's way pretty quickly, never to regain any true traction.
Make it a big whiff on "Big Sky".
I am forever a sucker for movies set in the wide open expanse of the American west. This penchant is what sucked me into seeing the low budget dramatic thriller "Big Sky".
Now admittedly I don't know what severe agoraphobia looks like. But I imagine that Bella Thorne does a pretty damn good job of depicting how this insidious psychological affliction debilitates and paralyzes those who can not bear interaction with the outside world. And Kyra Sedgwick as her less-than-model yet loving mom and the consummate acting pro is first-rate despite being rendered incapacitated early on in the proceedings. There's your propers, kids. The rest of "Big Sky" is so implausible, inexplicable or just downright impossible it loses it's way pretty quickly, never to regain any true traction.
Make it a big whiff on "Big Sky".
Kyra
lindamaherbrown5 August 2021
Great Story, But 45 Minutes Too Much Movie
afloridason5 August 2021
The storyline is great, and had potential to be great the whole way through. Unfortunately there's more film, than there is story. For some reason someone decided to spend too much time defining the characters. All that did was create on again, off again, moments of intensity and boredom. All the same, if you're a Kara Sedgwick and/or a Bella Thome fan, this would still be worth watching on a cold rainy day when you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and bowl of popcorn.
A waste of what could have been a great plot
yada212127 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Too many characters suffering from debilitating mental issues for one movie. If it had been an apocalyptic story line, all the personal craziness might have made a little more sense. Bella Thorne and Kyra Sedgwick did rescue a very poor plot. Bella's characters' agoraphobia could have been better developed. Too many undeveloped plot lines made it impossible to follow all the different story lines.
Desert Dud
jeroduptown31 March 2022
Thorne is agoraphobic. Sedgwick is her shady mom. Their trip. Is interrupted by brothers going after something forgettable. Then Thorne crawls around in the desert seeing things and meeting a weird dude. Then it ends.
Most Tedious Movie Ever!
andrealschultz26 September 2021
A Gripping Movie that will keep you Excited till the end
kurtzell-8990612 October 2015
Big Sky was an Amazing Movie I Loved it So Much Bella Thorne is Truly Amazing doing Drama She Killed it Bella has Incredible Talent She made the Movie Even Better just being in it. Big Sky is So Incredibly Gripping you never know whats gonna happen next it surprises you and keeps you so interested so wanna seeing whats gonna happen next waiting to see will they get through this or not it gets your heart going makes you worry for her worry what happens or what will happen to her it has Great Acting and Great action it gets your pulse racing with suspense.I recommend this movie to everybody Bella Thorne and Kyra Sedgwick Fans they did an Amazingly Incredible Performance that will keep you thinking about this movie for years after you see it in fact you will wanna see it over and over again .I Loved ever minute of the movie its the kind of movie you buy on DVD and watch it over and over again Thank You Bella for making another Amazing Movie In Summary Big Sky is a Very Gripping Movie that will make your heart race with anticipation of what will happen next and how it will end up will this be the end or will she be able to prevail in the end will it be a happy ending or a unhappy ending Big Sky is a Highly Emotional Highly Intense Movie that makes you care about the characters so much that you worry about them as if they were Friends or even Family of yours the Writing and Acting shows what you can do if you put your mind to creating a movie that will stand the test of time and be around a very long time being watched over and over again by generations to come i rate Big Sky 10 out of 10 its a movie for the whole family to watch and discuss Big Sky a movie of quality made to entertain to keep you on the seat of your seat with worry caring about the characters and what happens to them all the actors did an amazing job SUMMARY A Action Packed Movie of the mind that will keep you guessing all the way through till the end
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