

As for Carolina, she professes to be a frequent visitor to the woods due to a nagging indecision, but she isn’t shy about assisting Ricardo in a shockingly unexpected manner. The two banter combatively, and it becomes clear that Ricardo is determined to die.

But before he can do the deed, he meets the acerbic Carolina (Daniela Love), who mocks him for his chosen method (a knife) and for failing to bring a suicide note (he asks to borrow pen and paper, and she obliges). In the fictional, mythical woods somewhere between Portugal and Spain that attracts those contemplating taking their own lives, well-to-do dad Ricardo Alves (Jorge Mota) arrives grief-stricken over the suicide of his daughter Irene (Lilia Lopes) in a foreboding pre-credit sequence. This notable debut from writer-director José Pedro Lopes, which world-preemed at Fantasporto and was featured in the long-running and gonzo-themed Freak Me Out sidebar of the Sydney Festival, is ensured of a long and happy specialty fest life. Vastly more focused and interesting than director Gus Van Sant’s similarly themed 2015 misfire “The Sea of Trees,” the black-and-white stalker drama “The Forest of Lost Souls” is a nasty and impressive little thriller that goes about its business with ruthless cinematic efficiency.
