Frank (Darren Bransford) and Theo (Henry Regan) escape from the Navy in 1810 so they can be together and continue their relationship. After washing up on shore they hide in the expansive gardens of an abandoned house where they sleep, have sex and talk to one another. At night they dig up bodies to sell for money so they can continue to live. As the two men grow closer, Theo starts being haunted by startling apparitions.
The Secret Path is made by rising film-makers Richard and Daniel Mansfield. The film is incredibly low budget which makes it hard to believe the setting but they do get decent performances out of their two central actors Darren Bransford and Henry Regan. Of the two actors itās Regan who gives the best performance and he does a great job with a character that is severely under-written.
The movie has a dreamy quality to it that makes the loose narrative drift. Richard Mansfieldās direction tries to incorporate elements of horror with a love story but it never quite works. The horror moments jar with the rest of the story and feel out of place. They arenāt handled with the subtlety that you would expect from mixing the two genres together.
There are a few issues with The Secret Path. Firstly the storyline is barely there and meanders along with seemingly little purpose. The two men randomly share intimacy ranging from passionate kisses to a surprisingly raunchy sex scene that seems to be included purely for titillation rather than moving the plot along. Not a great deal of anything is really explained leaving you to come to your own vague conclusions once the credits roll.
The Secret Path is an ambitious project but it lacks in too many areas. Whilst the performances are fine, there simply isnāt much of a story to hold on to and the characters are too two-dimensional for you to ever really care about them. You can tell itās a first feature film and unfortunately the amateur feel of the movie wonāt be to many peopleās tastes.
Watch the trailer for The Secret Path below: