September 30 2026, 20:23
Loner
Angus signs up for a retreat in a sparse cabin in an isolated part of Northumbria and films his experience for his vlogging channel. He settles in, but quickly begins to unravel as the reality of his position in life hits home and the noises he hears in the woods become increasingly threatening.
Charlie Robb, who plays Angus, has natural comic chops, and for most of the film he is alone on camera playing an urban man lost in an unexpectedly brutal woodland. We seem to be watching the unedited footage of his vlog, including outtakes, which allows Robb to channel the ghosts of David Brent and Alan Partridge, although Angus is a far more nuanced and realistic character, adrift in modern life.
A second character, Eve, a student of folklore, glimpsed on Angus’s initial walk in to the woods, returns to play a key role in the film’s latter half. Angus’s flaws make him susceptible to whatever is in the woods, but him understanding that does seem to offer a chance of a way out.
For some people, modern life is unbearably lonely, and being online is their only way to feel seen. Loner reminds me of The Blair Witch Project, of course, but also Creep, The Borderlands, there’s some Inside No 9 vibes, and I think ultimately the Britishness of Angus, his underlying sadness and inability to connect with people in real life, sticks with me most.
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