Review: Shadows of Willow Cabin (2025)

Dir Joe Fria: 114 mins

Hello, cinema lovers! Shadows of Willow Cabin has a genuinely moving idea buried inside it. Getting there takes patience. Blair Witch may have been scarier, but Willow Cabin is more profound.

Written and directed by debut director Joe Fria, the film's plot begins with cute bear Albert (Bryan Bellomo) and sexy twink Devon (John Brodsky) meeting at a remote family-owned cabin, built by Albert's grandfather. The men are there to explore a connection that began with a string of dating app messages. Albert is closeted and married. Catholic guilt surrounds him like a rainy day. Devon is younger, an EMT, someone who has made a bad habit of loving men who can't love him back.

The clandestine getaway starts with flirtation, wine and a hot tub before things heat up. The two leads work hard to create a tentative, gentle connection on screen between two lost men needing comfort and peace. However, when the phone signal drops and the car won't start, the tone shifts. Turns out Albert's uncle Russell killed himself in the cabin years earlier, not long after his own son ran away. That same son who had a close bond with a teenage Albert. Those ghosts of the past linger as the weekend progresses.