We have seen some great movies lately that are underrated or worse, unseen. We felt we needed to bring them to your attention. Better horror fans are undoubtedly silently screaming at their screens saying they already knew these titles were great, and to them, we bow.
They knew Radius was good. They knew The Furies was great and Sea Fever was a hidden gem. They probably know the movie we’re featuring today is above and beyond one of the best survival horror movies that no one has seen. Seriously folks, the fact that this title isn’t more well-known is a travesty.
Good thing you have us to tell you about it.
It’s called Meander from 2020, and maybe because it’s a French film (although there is barely any dialogue), no one in North America was aware of its existence. We came across this film on Tubi, but we suggest going ad-free with this one—you can do that if you have a Prime account; it’s included in your subscription. Click HERE for other options.
Directed by Mathieu Turi who also directed another underrated film Hostile (2017), Meander follows a young woman named Lisa (Gaia Weiss) who while hitchhiking is picked up by a strange man. Suddenly, in the next scene, we see her trapped inside some sort of metal container. Confused, she escapes, and from there she tries to survive a series of increasingly dangerous traps within a seemingly humungous structure.
If this sounds like Cube from 1997 you’d be on the nose. Meander borrows a lot of it’s scenario from that film, but whereas Cube has several characters, Meander only focuses on Lisa. Within every room she has to figure out how keep from burning to death because if she fails to seek safety a barrage of flamethrowers emerge from the ceiling, burning everything in their reach.
Meander also has a redemption arc. Our heroine blames herself for the death of her young daughter and mysteriously the killer maze ties into that tragedy, not physically but psychologically. In that regard it’s much like Saw where choices bring victims closer to absolving guilt.
Unlike Saw, Lisa also faces some strange creatures, specifically a strange mechanical arm that is half human skull and half advanced technology that can heal her through a port in her abdomen.
Meander is a one-woman show. And Weiss will captivate you as she makes her way through the different rooms. She gives Lisa a vulnerability that at first seems feeble, but the more death she faces and the more she overcomes it shows she had strength all along, but something was suppressing it.
There is also a bracelet that serves as a timer to ratchet up the suspense everytime she faces danger. By the end of the film you understand where she gathered her strength. Speaking of the ending, it’s pretty straightforward and satisfying while still leaving some questions unanswered. But upon reflection, you’ll figure it out.
Non-stop action, a puzzle that leads to a fulfilling answer and satisfying amounts of gore, Meander is a film that shouldn’t be missed especially if you haven’t heard of it and you’re always complaining there’s nothing good to watch.