This could have been a good movie, but I don't know what happened, can't quite put my finger on it. The best thing about it was the drunken friend who at least was interesting and veered off course.

I get that it's during an epidemic, but a lot of it just didn't make sense and the whole drama with the three main characters never really gripped.

What was the purpose of the supposed "militia?" The ending was an absolute farce. He tells the cops about the fire and they check it out and confirm everything, but they don't go back to house with him even though they know his wife is in danger? And another one that "leaves you guessing" ho hum.

The filmmakers of "Sheltering Season" deserve credit for creatively imagining a far more draconian lockdown than the one that was deployed in the recent pandemic.

Sometime in the near future, a major pandemic has resulted in severe measures, including curfews, daily check-ins, and a masked goon squad on the loose to maintain law and order. The worst features of a dystopian world were captured in the film.

One of the most memorable characters was Juniper, the life of the party when on face-time. But it was easy to see that she was suffering from a case of the lockdown jitters.

Unfortunately, the good premise was short-changed when the narrative shifted into a personal drama in the triangle of a sister (Lily), a brother (Brooklyn), and Lily's husband (Rex). Years ago, Brooklyn set fire to the home and intentionally killed the young son of Lily and Rex. At the time, Lily was out drinking with her friends, and Rex was preparing for work in his shop. Leaving little Harper in the care of Brooklyn was not a good idea.

Brooklyn has just been released from a psychiatric institution, and he returns to inflict more pain on the grieving couple. The intense personal drama had nothing to do with the pandemic, and the result was two mini films in one.

Intensely performed by an able cast and a daring experiment in looking at a very real possibility in a future unraveling of the world order, the film fell short of success due to its lack of focus.