Growing roots and branches by Jennie Kermode
At this year’s Frightfest, a small, compelling film named Binding Eva has captured attention, largely thanks to a genuinely brave central performance by rising star Ryan Ralph Gerrard.
The movie plunges viewers into a tense journey, following the character of Felix, a petty criminal who sets out to cross the treacherous Forest of Dean while holding two hostages: a mother, Catherine Deevy, and a seven-year-old girl, Darcey Wood. It sets a high-stakes, claustrophobic tone against the backdrop of a deep, rural landscape.
This feature is the big screen debut of director Conscian Morgan, who also served as producer. Before the festival, Morgan shared insights into the creative process, revealing his deep immersion in the theme of forest horror.
Morgan explained that his vision sought to create a kind of horror that felt natural and organic, steeped in a rural atmosphere. He aimed for scenes where the protagonist was wrestling not just with external threats, but with the very nature of his surroundings—a kind of internal struggle with the forest itself.
Morgan confirmed his involvement from the very beginning, having developed the script alongside his brother and writer Will Clempner. This collaborative approach seems to have infused the film with a unique, visceral texture.
The resulting film manages to blend the suspense of a hostage situation with the unsettling, primal dread inherent in a deeply forested setting. It’s a chilling piece of cinema that reminds us that sometimes, the most frightening monsters are the ones hiding within the natural world.
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