The hidden meaning of the film Settlers (2021): plot and meaning of the film, what it’s about, explanation of the ending, similar films.
Country: UK, South Africa
Genre: fantasy, thriller, drama
Year of production: 2020
Director: Wyatt Rockefeller
Actors: Sofia Boutella, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Brooklyn Prince
The plot of the film Settlers, the debut for screenwriter and director Wyatt Rockefeller, is well disguised as a Western. However, to a greater extent, this is a parable statement that makes you think about where humanity can go in search of a “beautiful future.”
Plot of the film Settlers
Brief description of the contents of the picture. Reza, Ilsa and Remi are former earthlings, but now they live on Mars. Their life seems very monotonous, but one day the inscription “Leave” appears on one of the walls in the house – and only last night the father of the family, Reza, said that they were completely safe…
Then screams are heard outside, which frighten both little Remy and the adults – Reza himself and his wife Ilsa. According to the woman’s interpretation, there are at least five hostile people on the street. A short time later, the family is attacked by unknown assailants, and an intense firefight begins. Reza moves away from the house, hoping in this way to entice the attackers with him, while his wife and daughter remain waiting.
It soon becomes clear that there is a stranger in the house. Taking Ilsa at gunpoint, the armed man asks her to put down her weapon. He says his parents used to live in this house. He doesn’t wish them harm and is ready to let them go. However, it can protect them from danger.
Ilsa does not believe him and a little later makes an attempt to attack him. However, the man turns out to be ready for such a turn of events. Having pinned the woman to the floor, he asks her to wait 30 days – after which he will give her the rifle and she, if she wants, can kill him. Ilsa, realizing that he probably killed Reza, asks to bury him, which he does. The man (his name is Jerry) stays with them. Remy watches him and one day notices that he is putting his weapons in a secret place, as if he is preparing for something.
One day, Remy notices a moving box that suddenly “grows” four legs. Jerry says that he is safe, and the girl, calling the robot Steve, becomes attached to him.
The man tries in every possible way to prove that he is a good guy and one day Ilsa, in a fit of frankness, talks about the past: several years ago they were sheltered by Jerry’s father. Having learned that they were from Earth, he showed aggression and they had to eliminate him.
Gradually Jerry and Ilsa become closer. Seeing this, Remy becomes jealous and eventually decides to leave home. On the way, she stumbles upon an invisible barrier, and in the distance notices something like a bunker. Approaching the door, the girl presses the button and goes inside. The door closes, Remy loses consciousness, but the man who lived in the “bunker” takes her home.
When 30 days pass, Jerry puts a gun on the table and Ilsa shoots him. However, there are no cartridges in the gun… Ilsa runs into the house for a knife, Jerry follows her. A fight breaks out in the house, after which the man starts running after Remy. He asks her to return, but she, knowing full well that he killed her mother, refuses.
Several years have passed since then. Jerry tries to woo the now-adult Remy, but she responds with hostility. The girl wants to leave, but Jerry assures that without him she will die. He tries to take her by force and is suddenly attacked by the robot Steve.
Settlers Ending explained
Explanation of the ending of the picture. The “pet’s” aggression gives Remy a head start: she gets to the weapon and kills the enemy. In the morning, the girl packs her things, says goodbye to the robot and asks him to look after the house. She goes to that very “bunker”, passes right through it and comes out to a lifeless area.
Probably the meaning of the ending of the film Settlers is that the girl went to explore new lands. If she survives, she will probably be able to achieve what her parents wanted to do.
The meaning of the film Settlers
Having begun the space race, which coincided with the long-lasting and exhausting Cold War, humanity certainly wanted to conquer the distant strongholds of the solar system. After visiting the Moon, people had a new fix: the conquest of Mars, on which, according to available data, it is quite possible to establish a colony.
The debate continues about when humans will finally venture into the Martian wastelands and thereby write one of the greatest pages in the history of our civilization. At the same time, more mundane (in every sense) theories are being expressed that say that the spread of humanity throughout the solar system will not lead to anything good. After all, the conquest of other planets will be dictated only by egoism – and nothing else. Science fiction writers and many directors share approximately the same opinion.
The plot of Settlers develops in 2078. People have achieved excellent results in rocket science, reached Mars without any problems and settled there. Meanwhile, things on Earth are not going well, which is due to the “brain drain” to Mars – qualified specialists simply do not see the point in staying at home any longer. Not wanting to improve the Earth, thereby correcting their own mistakes, they want to build a wonderful future on the Red Planet. What if it works?..
Wyatt Rockefeller presented us with a rather dramatic, very unpredictable and at the same time very intimate story with hidden meaning. At the same time, he framed it in the shell of Martian chronicles of the near future. Thus, his picture, which incorporates diverse issues, makes us admit with sadness in our hearts that people, in general, are greedy and stupid egoists.
In their analysis of the film, many viewers notice that such a story could easily be played out somewhere in Alaska, or on a desert island. However, choosing Mars as the location, the director made the right decision.
The solution to this approach is simple: Rockefeller wanted to evoke vivid emotions in the viewer and make him think. Almost the entire action of the film takes place within the framework of a desert stronghold, which by its very appearance evokes depression. The tension grows with each subsequent mise-en-scène – little by little we understand that the main characters are in a trap, from which it is almost impossible to get out. After all, only lifeless Martian wastelands await one of them. Meanwhile, in the house left behind, there sits a sort of temporary ally, interaction with which will probably not end well…
Probably the essence of the film is that in any circumstances you need to remain human. Striving into the future, you shouldn’t slam the door loudly – it’s better to prop it up to leave yourself the opportunity to retreat. After all, the ghostly light at the end of the tunnel cannot always become a window into a cloudless tomorrow.
The ideological load of the picture is really quite large. This tape exaggerates the problem of relationships. In addition, she talks about the painful way out of the comfort zone, associated with the fear of any change and attempts to cling to a poor, but still stable stability.
However, the main idea of the film, which became clear only closer to the end, lies elsewhere. By and large, this film says that wherever a person goes, he will definitely take himself with him. This is a serious reason to think about it.
Similar films
Here are several films similar in meaning to the film Settlers:
- Revolt (USA, 2017). The Earth was attacked by high-tech aliens. However, they are not the biggest evil that the heroes of the film will have to face.
- “Annihilation” (USA, UK, 2017). A small meteorite lands on Earth. This leads to catastrophic consequences.
- Dual (USA, Finland, 2021). In the world of the future, people encounter their clones. The main task is to defend your rights, which is not so easy…
- Possessor (Canada, UK, 2020). The film tells about a killer of the future. Possessing the ability to penetrate other people’s bodies, one day he loses control over the situation.
