Once someone has been through a traumatic incident, they are likely going to return to the place in which it happened, either physically or psychologically. This is a phenomenon that has been observed among many individuals who have suffered some kind of trauma or tragedy, either witnessing something horrifying or experiencing anything that could cause physical or mental harm. This is the primary theme that Antonia Campbell-Hughes is exploring in It Is In Us All, which is bound to be viewed as one of the most promising directorial debuts of recent years, with the story of a young English man returning to the small village in pastoral Ireland in which his late mother was born, only to find himself involved in an accident that results in the death of a young man, being one that resonates with a much wider audience. This is especially evident through the director’s incredible compassion and unique authorial voice, which brings forward a range of complex ideas that elevate this narrative and allow it to flourish into one of the most deeply disturbing and hauntingly beautiful accounts of the experience of processing tragedy and coming to terms with the post-traumatic stress disorder that will likely reside in the protagonist’s mind for the rest of his life, as is often the case when one is involved in something so harrowing. One of the more effective examples of quiet but intense filmmaking, and a resounding testament to the power of independent cinema as a source of some truly exemplary conversations centred on uncomfortable but essential subjects, It Is In Us All is a film that lingers on with the viewer long after it has ended, being a work of incredible integrity and a deep curiosity for some of the more inexplicable aspects of the human condition, particularly in the aftermath of a tragedy, investigating the ways in which we tend to adjust to these emotional and psychological changes, almost as if we are trying to reason with reality in the hopes of finding answers to questions that simply can never be resolved – and for a debut feature, Campbell-Hughes truly proves her mettle as one of the more exciting young voices in contemporary cinema.

If we momentarily detach the central premise of the film, we find that It Is In Us All is a film with a very distinct sense of direction in terms of the themes that it is intent on exploring. Numerous elements make up this story, and Campbell-Hughes manages to thread them together in such a way that they overlap beautifully, each theme existing in communion with another, creating a vivid and hauntingly beautiful tapestry of contemporary human existence, as seen through the eyes of one individual who is teetering dangerously close on losing all perspective as a result of a traumatic event. This is a film primarily about identity in various ways – the most obvious comes in the theme of homecoming, with the character of Hamish being someone who has been caught between nationalities all his life, being raised in the bustling metropolis of London, but briefly living in the small Irish village in which his late mother was born after she momentarily fled (for reasons that are never made clear, but there are slight undertones of domestic abuse present in the conversations that centre around her and the decision she made to leave, albeit temporarily), which is where he decides to take a trip in his adulthood, not realizing that this journey will put him in a position where he is questioning his entire identity, not only his nationality but also his humanity, after his involvement in a vehicular accident that takes the life of a young man and brutally injures both Hamish and another young woman, who is grappling with his own guilt at being the cause of this accident. Using something as bleak but recognizable as a traumatic accident is a good method of anchoring the film within reality, which allows for the subsequent oscillation between identities that the protagonist finds himself undergoing, questioning not only his own origins (since he feels a kinship to both countries and their cultures), but also the connection he has with these people, who gladly embrace him, but not in a way where he can discern whether this is just rural hospitality, or their attempts to view him as one of their own, which only heightens the sense of displacement and despair Hamish feels as he navigates this terrain, which is somehow both familiar and foreign to him.

There have not been many films that so effectively provoke the sensation of navigating a liminal space quite as much as It Is In Us All, which has a vaguely nightmarish atmosphere, a dreamlike quality that is familiar yet so off-centre, creating a sense of hopelessness and inescapable dread, despite nothing being traditionally unsettling about the narrative or its approach to exploring these subjects. The reason behind this is likely Campbell-Hughes’ ability to draw on more than one of our senses – as gorgeous and lush as the visual landscape of this film may be (with DIR’s photography beautifully capturing the idyllic Irish countryside), it’s the aural qualities that propel the story and give it such a poignancy. The director has spoken about the importance of sound as a narrative and directorial tool, especially when paired with images that occur concurrently. There are moments where the sound itself is telling us a story – not in the sense of musical cues or recognizable sound effects, but rather the more uncanny tones and pitches that start to stir in this character’s mind. Very rarely do we encounter a film that employs a sonic design formed almost entirely from dissonant cues and abrasive timbral qualities to the point where this is one of the primary stylistic propellants of the story, the off-kilter sounds creating an almost unbearable but strangely beautiful depiction tapestry, reflecting the discordant tones that populate the protagonist’s mind as he navigates this new stage of his life, one that was entirely unexpected, but also somehow inevitable. There’s a cyclicality to It Is In Us All that implies the complete absence of chance, and that everything we experience is fate – the character of Hamish learns more about his identity through the process of recovering, both psychically and mentally, from a major accident that he ever would otherwise have experienced in more pleasant circumstances. He connects with himself on a much deeper level, as well as those who surround him – he asks the more difficult questions and plumbs the emotional depths of his psychological state, which reveal details that are both disturbing and cathartic, which define his journey forward.

At the heart of It Is In Us All is an spellbinding performance from Cosmo Jarvis, who seems to have been circling a major acting breakthrough for several years, mainly taking on memorable supporting roles or sharing the marquee with slightly more recognizable names. He is a truly unique actor in terms of both appearance and acting style, so it was wonderful to see him given a more prominent role in a film, especially one designed to be a showcase for the actor at the core of the story. Jarvis has such a distinct manner of acting – he always seems to be on the verge of some form of realization, but yet finds himself continuously pushed back by a variety of elements – whether obstacles that keep him from finding the answers he seeks or realizations that derail his journey through dismantling his already volatile psychological state. It’s the kind of character-based drama that needed someone who could commit entirely to the process of creating this individual and defining him with only the most paltry details, since Campbell-Hughes intentionally keeps his background as ambigious as possible, never offering us expositionary details or direct information that explains who this man is or what his purpose is in life, but rather depending on the intricate details contained within the performance itself to give us these insights, or at least lead us to create our interpretation. Much like the film as a whole, Jarvis’ performance is driven by ambiguities, and he very effectively takes on these challenging concepts with a profound attention to detail and a very meaningful understanding of the kind of person he is being asked to portray – it’s a subtle performance with moments of volcanic emotion, and while he is still relatively underpraised, Jarvis makes an exceptional case for a potential rise to become one of our best working actors, with his precise and razor-sharp attention to detail in constructing this character proving that he has the mettle for more challenging roles and that he can command the screen with an incredible intensity that is both alluring and unsettling, a quality the film actively utilizes in its favour.

It Is In Us All is a simple film about human connection, both with the people that we encounter in our daily affairs, and ourselves. The relationship we form with our psyche is very important, and it’s the primary theme that drives most of this film, creating a compelling narrative that centres on the challenges that come with negotiating one’s identity in an environment that is not conducive to anything other than the most unsettling form of self-discovery imaginable. It’s not a film that is always easy to understand – a good portion of this narrative requires us to latch onto the wavelength of the story and just travel with the existential currents as they take us to the heart of the film. It’s not always clear what some of these ideas mean, and there are entire scenes that seem to take place outside any known realm of logic or rational thought, perhaps existing to evoke the sense of dread-induced paranoia and despair, which contrasts very sharply with the gritty realism that defines the rest of the film. It Is In Us All is a powerful and incredibly nuanced psychological thriller that creates an atmosphere of enormous tension and despair, from which it builds a poignant and fascinating depiction of the surrounding world. It is a film that has strong intentions and a lot of powerful ideas, which all come together to create an unconventional portrait of an individual’s (meta)physical journeys, whether it be the voyage to the country to which he has always held a very strong connection, or his mental excursions, where he begins to challenge and reconfigure his psychological state to reflect something much more profound. It’s a film of incredible artistic and existential value, and a major entry into the realm of filmmaking for a young director who immediately establishes herself as a vital new voice in contemporary cinema and someone we should pay attention to if this film is any indication of her talents.