Surrender To It

Direcetd by Tim Bryn Smith

2026

Showcasing a cast of local talent from the Nottingham Actor’s Workshop, new feature Surrender To It is a true Midlands production mixing horror and comedy as a group of friends take a trip to the countryside.

We are introduced to a couple (Daemian Greaves as Dani and Melissa May Smith as Celena) who argue over joining some friends for a trip despite an imminent house move. Dani leaves without Celena before stumbling upon Erin (Olivia Bailey), who has arrived, without her partner too, at the outdoor retreat.

With no Wi-Fi signal and intermittent phone connection (of course), the old friends congregate at a bar, as Dani joins pals Chrissy (Clare Alexandra Isabelle McGill), Cadi (Joe Kirton), Sian (Matthew Thomason) and Evie (Chantelle Lee).

Their absent friend Timmy texts coordinates to come meet him, and the group begins to head off whilst avoiding a trio of anti-social yobs. And an encounter with their now-famous superstar friend Ram Richards (Fletcher Graham) and his pal Pryce (Alex Rose) means the circle of friends is complete and they can finally get on with their scenic ramble.

The film sets up its world very well. Each character gets an introductory moment and the dialogue fills in their varied backgrounds. They are all different with enough quirks to separate them out given the large cast and from the outset there’s an intriguing and underlying tension linked to past events.

We discover Dani is still dealing with the loss of his child and once Timmy arrives it’s revealed he has the ashes of his father. Both add some emotional depth to a film which could have been a standard walk-around-the-forest thriller. There’s a real compassionate theme about coping with death that is successfully weaved throughout.

The film swings between anxiety-filled encounters when the yobs re-enter the fray, to more amusing sequences such as a skinny-dipping pause at a lake and unavoidable “calls to nature” - which consistently helps the narrative and tone avoid getting too stale.

And cutting to the stalking trio of thugs, as well as Celena back at the house, we get further viewpoints to keep the story engrossing for viewers. There’s even a nicely-shot genre-hopping historical epic sequence during a meditation session!

The appearance of facemasks and inclusion of lockdown talk were a blast from the past it has to be said. It’s slightly strange watching a film made during the Covid pandemic, but the combination of close relationships yet keeping one’s distance works thematically well.

However, about two-thirds in I felt the film needed to begin pulling its various strands together before it lost control completely. The mish-mash of tones and stories - from stalking, to drug-induced hallucinations via the comedy skits and relationship dramas - needed to coalesce together a little better. What was once the film’s strength of variation unfortunately becomes a bit of a weakness in all honesty.

That said, as we trek towards the end of this cinematic hike, a few revelations shed much-needed light on people's situations, as well as the effects these have on various characters. But I personally found one particular twist a huge cop-out sadly. Again, it's the weird jump in mood that gives a certain feeling of whiplash, and was probably the most disappointing aspect despite its honourable intentions to celebrate filmmaking and acting.

Surrender To It therefore reaches for the stars and *almost* hits its heights. The oscillating tone leaves viewers a little disorientated at times which may become frustrating, but it’s never short of talking points. And it very much keeps you on your toes throughout as dilemmas in the present link to the ghosts of the past with some lightheartedness sprinkled in as garnish.

With an exceptional cast delivering all its multiple threads and ideas, the feature is definitely one to check out and shows the exceptional work that can be done with a small budget and hugely enthusiastic and talented creatives.

★★★★½

4.5 / 5

Michael Sales

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Surrender to It is on UK digital 30 March from Miracle Media