Annual Top Films Lists

Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2021: #83. Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth

Published on January 2, 2021

In the Earth

Ben Wheatley, like Neill Blomkamp, quietly directed a genre film in the throes of the pandemic. In the Earth, produced and financed by NEON, also features Andy Starke of Rook Films as producer and stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Reece Shearsmith and Hayley Squires who was featured in Wheatley’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (2018). Wheatley tapped Nick Gillespie (part of the camera crew on 2011’s Kill List) as DP. Wheatley’s sophomore title Kill List (2011) quickly garnered a cult following. 2012’s Sightseers played out of competition at Locarno and 2013’s A Field in England won Wheatley the Special Prize of the Jury out of Karlovy Vary. In 2015, High Rise competed in TIFF’s Platform and in 2020, he unveiled his remake of the classic Hitchcock film, Rebecca.

Gist: A scientist and a park scout venture deep into the woods for a routine equipment run while the world desperately seeks a cure for a deadly virus. As their journey bleeds into night, terrifying things begin to happen in the forest.

Release Date/Prediction: News of the film didn’t break until it was already in postproduction. In the Earth will see Wheatley showcase his pandemic film at the Sundance Film Festival in the Premieres section.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.