Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: HOLD THE FORT [Fantasia Film Festival 2025 - Montreal, Canada - Virtual]
The aspect of facing fear sometimes can be as simple as buying a home and joining an HOA. With "Hold The Fort" [Selection], there is a mixture of "Evil Dead" and sardonic films like "Suburbicon". The key view here is a new couple (Lucas and Jenny) who have just moved in from the city and bought a new house. Like most people, they might not want to become too entrenched in the local community too quickly. The HOA President comes over and invites them to a party which unknowingly turns into a battle for survival (but in a different way than "The Hunt" or "Ready Or Not" but still similar enough). The different perspectives and/or placement of caricatures making fun of themselves in a comedic way leads to some interesting bloodletting. But the comedic tone is what keeps the film moving. It is making fun or generational shifts and pill popping to be sure. It also deals with the idea of boxes people are put it.
Lucas (Chris Meyers) is not a big thinker but he has become squeamish and complacent in a certain way. The different HOA members try to put this to the test. The prologue is a little off center in its exact reasoning but it does connect Jerry (Julian Smith) to the current development. Smith gets the vibe that the fggilm ois going for but sometimes goes over the top into parody. The biggest laugh is of course a character named McScruffy which is complete parody [in a good way] (especially in a later scene where Lucas has to "man up" after he himself had a hand in McScruffy's "problem"). The various creatures (including an interesting werewolf) lay the groundwork for the final journey Lucas has to go through. Jenny survives but maybe she takes it all too seriously. The key to this quest is a wooden sword which is of course another metaphor. The fort in question is the HOA community center where they are planning to put in a pool though they do admit the fees are too high but it is for a good cause. B
By Tim Wassberg
