Encounter

"Malek, Riz Ahmed's character in the movie 'Encounter', wakes up and immediately runs to the mirror. He opens his eyes and puts a flashlight right, right close to his pupil. This scene, one of the first of the feature film shown at the 2021 Toronto Festival, sets the tone of the narrative: the protagonist is worried. He is, more specifically, desperate about a threat that is flying freely in the air: mosquitoes that, in theory, carry an alien parasite that enters our bodies and makes us slaves of these creatures from another planet. As a last desperate act, he steals his two children from the mother's custody. And sets off on a survival journey. From then on, filmmaker Michael Pearce ('Beast') surprises with a movie full of good moments, a remarkable performance by Riz Ahmed and a science fiction plot that, like a mix of 'The Thing' and '10 Cloverfield Lane', does not make it clear how and if people are being infected. It's desperate. It starts out as a good popcorn movie, to watch also with a huge cup of soda, but 'Encounter' soon shows that it can be much more than that when the audience least expects it. Also highlight Octavia Spencer who, despite appearing little, shines on stage."