The found footage genre can be catnip for young filmmakers, embracing as it does a low-budget aesthetic and the kind of incoherent crash that even the least experienced actors can handle. There’s nothing green, however, about Robbie Banfitch, the director (as well as writer, editor, cinematographer and sound designer) of “The Outwaters,” a film that pays as much attention to its setup as it does to its payoff.
Supported by a sound design that deftly combines the naturalistic with the otherworldly, “The Outwaters” turns into a truly disconcerting sequence as Robbie wanders alone, wounded and chattering. He doesn’t know who he is, but the audience might.
The Outwaters premiered at the New Jersey Film Festival on February 12, 2022
