Tags:
Film: Noseeums
Year: 2025
Director: Raven Deshay Carter
Writer: Raven Deshay Carter, Jason-Michael Anthony and Hendreck Joseph
Starring: Aleigha Burt, Jasmine Gia Nguyen and Trisha Arozqueta
Review:
This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Keir from Strike Media. This film looks to be being shown at FrightFest. That intrigued me as it is a festival that I tend to get recommendations from. Other than seeing the title and knowing that this was a 2025 horror film, I came into this one blind.
Synopsis: what begins as a spring break getaway spirals into a nightmare when something ancient and vengeful awakens beneath the surface with a past that refuses to stay dead.
We start this with seeing someone falling and there is something that is obscuring what we’re seeing. This character is Ember (Aleigha Burt). We jump into the past, seeing her sleeping in bed as a girl. She has a nightmare seeing a man kick a woman.
This then shifts to present day with her in a college class. It is an African American Studies class and it is bringing up the issue of land deeds. The gist is that former slaves would buy land in hopes to pass it down the family line. When they pass away, the proper paperwork wouldn’t be filed and it was easy for people to steal the land from them. We see an interesting interaction where Paul (Quinn Coté) makes a comment that is off base.
It then shifts to the library where Ember is studying with Jasmine (Chase Johnson). It should be pointed out here that these two are both black. What is good here is establishing how Ember is around her. We then see her leave to hang out with roommate, Tessa (Jasmine Gia Nguyen). They’re going on a girl’s trip with Abigail (Tabby Getsy) and Lexi (Jessie Roddy). These two are rude. They’re going to Abigail’s father’s lake house. The place isn’t great, but its location makes up for it.
During the journey and upon arrival, things are tense. The women are concerned with Ember calling her ex-boyfriend, Paul. They do have her best intentions at heart there. The problem is that the person who keeps calling her is mother, who she is estranged from. Ember experiences racism at a gas station and then Abigail ignores her comments about how stuffy the room she is given for the weekend. Tensions amongst them rise even more as everyone starts drinking and getting on each other’s nerves.
Ember and Abigail clash over the latter’s wealth, with Ember finding her spoiled. Now she also irritates the group with claims of supernatural experiences and desires to leave. Her past nightmares resurface and she's drawn to a pit where she's attacked by bugs. Ember befriends Earl (Tyler Bigg), a local handyman, leading to a confrontation with past sins.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start would be that I do think that this explores interesting ideas. This film is more than likely to annoy people as I could see it being seen as ‘woke’. My stance is that if a film wants to have a message, I appreciate that. I do think that this goes just a bit heavy at times. What I think is good though, is that we have younger people as our lead characters so the things they fight over are believable and the situations they get into makes sense.
Now that I have it set up, there is something that the professor brings up. It is dealing with generational trauma. Ember pushes back and states that it can be therapeutic. Her professor agrees, while also making her point. This is something I could see people having issues with. Abigail factors back in here as well. Ember and even Tessa points out to their friends that there is no reason to have as much money, stuff and properties as they have. Abigail makes a comment that they don’t seem to mind using it. Ember’s rebuttal is the only reason.
I’ll be honest, that comment she makes there is harsh. She’s also probably not wrong. Abigail and Lexi are definitely ‘mean girls’. You could also say here that Tessa has her moments. We also get a tense scene where Ember is dancing to a rap song. Abigail joins her, which causes annoyance. They’re singing along when Abigail uses a word that she shouldn’t. This is an interesting concept to include. I’m not happy to say this, but I’ve sung along with songs, saying words I shouldn’t. This is where learning and growing come into play.
There is another commentary here about how families like Abigail get what they do. This factors in with the nightmares that Ember has. I liked all this. The idea that the ‘sins of the past’ are being revisited on the children is a good troupe to use. It does go a bit generic here unfortunately. It feels a bit like a modern ‘ghostly’ but connecting all the dots doesn’t take as long with this route. This runs under 90 minutes, which I do love that it doesn’t waste time or have too much filler. It just feels like we have two stories that are running concurrently and don’t mesh as well.
Let’s then shift over to talk about the acting performances. There is an amateur feeling, which isn’t necessarily bad. Burt is the lead, admirably standing up to her bullying "friends." Nguyen's wavering loyalty to Ember is clear and grows with time. Getsy and Roddy complete the trip group as the ‘mean girls’. Trisha Arozqueta is a wronged figure from the past needing resolution. Bibb, Chloe Britto, Coté, and others round out the cast for what was needed.
All that is left here is filmmaking techniques. This is a well-made modern Gothic film with good cinematography and framing. Ember, influenced by benevolent ghosts, sees things others don't, needing her help. This also feels like it is driving her to madness. While practical effects are good, some CGI are less impressive, though it is unavoidable. The soundtrack and design are fitting to help build the atmosphere that is needed.
In conclusion, this is a modern Gothic film that explores interesting themes of generational trauma and social commentary, though it occasionally feels heavy-handed. While the narrative sometimes struggles to fully merge its concurrent storylines, the film benefits from its concise runtime and generally strong performances from the lead cast, particularly Burt. Despite some amateur acting and less impressive CGI, the overall filmmaking—including cinematography and atmospheric design—helps to craft an engaging experience that delves into the sins of the past.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10