moon garden movie review

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Every now and then, a new film surprises you with something that should always be true: movie-making is magic-making. Especially so when its tricks happen in-camera, with instruments as practical as lighting, costumes, sets, and ideas. Ryan Stevens Harris ’ “Moon Garden” is one such escape from zeroes and ones overload and general cynicism about where movies may be going. It is a horror/fantasy that puts every bit of its imagination on the screen and constantly impresses with its DIY spectacle.

Written and directed by Harris, “Moon Garden” primarily takes place inside the mind of a little girl named Emma ( Haven Lee Harris , Ryan’s daughter). The five-year-old is currently in a coma, having tumbled down some stairs one night after trying to get her parents ( Augie Duke and Brionne Davis ) to stop fighting. Emma wanders a shadowy, dirty, and mysterious realm as her body lies in a hospital, with her parents sitting beside her. Lights flash, and radio signals echo. The population is unpredictable: strange, freaky characters tear themselves up from the ground; others reflect the woman Emma may become.

Harris’ film holds your attention scene-by-scene, even in a few moments in which the pacing gives way to just admiring the craftsmanship or the emotions are muted by symbolism that doesn’t feel airtight. It’s the type of project that warrants a second viewing, partly to catch its connections but also to savor the textures you might have missed on your first visit.

"Moon Garden" is most emotionally incisive about a child processing what’s around her, namely the growing unhappiness between her parents. And as Emma travels through different parts of this world—like when she climbs a ladder through the clouds—Harris shows us the memory of her doing something similar with her father. It’s one of the happy thoughts, contrasted with another real-world flashback where Emma hides under some sheets with her mother, only for the claw-like hand of her upset father to tear it open. That memory inspires one of this horror story's simple but effective sets, a tunnel made of bedsheets.

“Moon Garden” is a whole mix of creations, a lovingly scrawled sketchbook come to life by a compulsive creator. One of Harris’ greatest feats is the main villain known as Teeth, who taunts Emma, and ushers in the film’s more overt horror elements. Dressed in a long black coat and cap, it hovers above the air with spindly, long fingers. You can’t see its eyes, but you can constantly hear its chattering chompers, which becomes one of many unsettling atmospheric features from Harris (also the film’s sound designer). Sometimes Teeth places his namesake on the ground, and Harris’ camera, often placed low, studies it, and fears it. As in so many scenes of “Moon Garden,” Emma’s rapt curiosity becomes our own.

Harris’ apparent influences across these fields should help recommend this film alone: there’s a bit of Jan Svankmeijer, Steven Spielberg , Tarsem Singh , Guillermo del Toro, and David Lynch throughout, but not in a thrifting fashion. Just as the film does not over-simplify its dream passages, it also does not pander to film lovers who are primed to champion this gem. (Which was shot on expired 35mm film stock and vintage rehoused lenses!)

As Emma, Haven Lee Harris gives the kind of work a filmmaker would want from a child performer. She is incredibly reactive to this world, holding our attention while sharing the frame with far more intense, adult supporting characters or sets. She is a natural within the film’s changing environments, and in its many wordless passages, doesn’t strike a false note. It’s so rare to see a child actor’s performance that doesn’t take you out of the story in some way; that’s so invested.

“Moon Garden” is not just eloquent with its designs, but filled with plenty of in-camera magic tricks. With time-lapse savviness, fruit decays on the ground at warp speed; nimble, non-showy cuts make characters vanish with their clothes dropping to the ground. We meet another one of Harris’ striking characters, Phillip E. Walker ’s Musician, through a sight that is wondrous but also simple: an organ being pieced together, by showing his destruction of it with a large mallet in reverse.

Ever connected to the emotions at play, Harris then builds that scene to a returning but always wrenching motif, Pete Ham and Tom Evans’ inimitable ballad, “Without You.” Emma’s mother sings the first verse and chorus softly into the girl’s ear in the hospital, causing it to play in Emma’s coma wonderland as a radio transmission with gentle accompaniment by Musician's organ. Emma smiles softly, warmed by the sunlight-orange lighting that shares the frame with the heavy blues that matches her eyes. (Harris is also the movie’s colorist). “Moon Garden” is rife with such hard-worn and graceful touches, from a gifted filmmaker who is primed to share with us more of his dreams.

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Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film Credits

Moon Garden (2023)

Augie Duke as Sara

Brionne Davis as Alex

Haven Lee Harris as Emma

Morgana Ignis as Teeth

Maria Olsen as Princess

Timothy Lee DePriest as Groom

Phillip E. Walker as Musician

Emily Meister as Headless Knitter & the Three Faces

Angelica Ulloa as Mud Witch

Téa Mckay as Bride

Ryan Stevens Harris

Cinematography

Wolfgang Meyer
Michael Deragon

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Moon Garden Reviews

Ryan Stevens Harris has created a modern-day fable, a dark fairy tale, and a story about love and resilience that lingers with its sublime beauty and ominous terrors – terrors that can be banished by sunlight and the warmth of familial attention.

Full Review | Jun 21, 2023

A darkly beautiful adventure that is part children’s adventure, part horror story. The setting and imagery make up for a story that is often put in the background. There is a degree of patience required, but those who love fantasy should check this out.

Full Review | Jun 20, 2023

Of its many successes Moon Garden can boast set design, creature design and stop motion work at the top. All are very solid, and all collaborate to evoke a big, dark, scary world where logic bends but wonder never dies.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 14, 2023

I disliked the experience—but again, many have found it enchanting.

Full Review | Jun 12, 2023

The lead is perfectly acted and written, and the visuals, from the effects to the cinematography and lighting, are immaculate.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jun 9, 2023

A freakish visual delight told from an unconventional perspective.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 6, 2023

More than just another dream-state drama, Moon Garden is a moving ode to mother-daughter bonds.

Full Review | Jun 2, 2023

This sort of trippy feature contains far too much ambition and visual experimentation for me to question whether or not the narrative has much to offer. Shot entirely on expired 35 mm film, I greatly admire a film that is as cleverly crafted as this.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | May 27, 2023

Moon Garden is nothing short of astonishing.

Full Review | May 24, 2023

Some may find Harris’ visual flair alone worthy of high praise, but the director fails to let the story blossom into something more substantial. Full moons sure are pretty to look at, but it’s the sun that actually makes things grow.

Full Review | May 23, 2023

Harris gets a lot of mileage out of his simple, lo-fi setup [but] one can’t help but wish Harris was more influenced by the actual weirdness of a Jodorowsky or the Czech New Wave instead of a pale imitator like Terry Gilliam.

Full Review | May 20, 2023

An absolute masterpiece...

A horror/fantasy that puts every bit of its imagination on the screen and constantly impresses with its DIY spectacle.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | May 19, 2023

Although its dazzling eye candy tends to overshadow the thin narrative, this dark fantasy about childhood innocence and imagination remains compelling.

Full Review | May 19, 2023

So, while visually gorgeous in its commendable, if incomplete, message about the power of "healing", the smiles at the end feel more like resignation to me.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 19, 2023

Initially, we’re repelled by the ’90s grunge video aesthetics. Later, we admire the power in these visceral expressions of traumas Emma will someday tell her therapist.

It's a creative, unsettling, and heartfelt film, made with obvious passion and an admirable sense of do-it-yourself craft.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 19, 2023

With Harris’ direction, the horror odyssey showcases pure visual creativity and genuine horror bonafides in its trippy world.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | May 18, 2023

A surreal, visually dazzling and creepy experience, but concurrently exhausting and tedious with excessive style over substance.

Full Review | May 17, 2023

Ryan Stevens Harris’ Moon Garden invites viewers to explore not only another world but a very different perspective.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | May 16, 2023

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‘Moon Garden’ Review: Malice in Wonderland

The director Ryan Stevens Harris brings a young girl’s subconscious to eerie life in this unnerving feature.

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A young girl moves figures around a toy castle.

By Amy Nicholson

“Moon Garden” is a nightmare tour through a small child’s psyche that the filmmaker Ryan Stevens Harris could have staged as an escape room, or a haunted house, or a themed restaurant where his creepy puppets and bizarro performers would chatter their teeth at you while smashing plates. It feels as though he chose to make a movie simply because that’s the handiest way to get his ghastly creations seen.

Harris seems bored by his film’s opening sequence, a chintzy melodrama about a girl named Emma (his own daughter Haven Lee Harris, just 4-years-old when she started the project) and her miserable parents (Brionne Davis and Augie Duke). Only after Emma’s circumstances get worse — the poor dear is knocked comatose — do things onscreen improve.

Heroines have been tumbling into their own subconscious since “The Wizard of Oz” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Rarely are the kids this young — and their adventures this dark. The moppet charges through all sorts of muck with kittenish courage as Harris unleashes an army of unnerving practical effects: stop motion tear-gobbling monsters, disconcerting reversed footage, time lapses of rotting fruit, skin-crawling sound design. Initially, we’re repelled by the ’90s grunge video aesthetics. Later, we admire the power in these visceral expressions of traumas Emma will someday tell her therapist.

As the tot struggles to sweep up the wreckage of a rampaging bride and groom, we sense she already knows she’s the family fixer. The film doesn’t need three lullaby covers of the Badfinger ballad “Without You” when it has the poetry of Harris’s emotional insights, particularly the line: “I wish I had learned that the world was bigger than how I felt.”

Moon Garden Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. In theaters.

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This Dark Fantasy Horror Move Brings all Your Childhood Nightmares to Life

This chilling 2022 release flew a little under the radar.

The Big Picture

Moon Garden is a dark fantasy horror film that sublimates childhood anxieties through an industrial wasteland.
The movie follows a comatose child's journey through a surreal wasteland, battling biomechanical creatures.
Moon Garden explores the terror of growing up, emphasizing the importance of love and perspective to overcome fears.

Moon Garden , written and directed by Ryan Stevens Harris , is a 2022 dark fantasy horror film that mesmerizes and terrorizes by sublimating childhood anxieties through a richly textured, dark industrial wasteland full of terrifying, tear-drinking monsters. The film follows the journey of a child stuck in a coma, wandering through an existential wasteland toward consciousness .

As she progresses through the dreamy labyrinth of her mind, she is confronted by her child-like grasp on her parent's psychological shortcomings and deteriorating relationship; her negative feelings manifest as terrifying biomechanical creatures . At the same time, her positive memories appear as friends leading her through and defending her from an ever-lurking, despairing monster addicted to her suffering. The film is beautiful and terrifying, a dark fairy tale that exposes the fears and joys of childhood.

Moon Garden

A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness.

What Is 'Moon Garden' About?

Emma ( Haven Lee Harris ) is a precocious little girl who lives with her loving parents. Her mother, Sarah ( Augie Duke ), is a tender and beautiful woman who deeply loves her daughter. She spends her days snuggling her child and telling her fantastic stories that excite and fascinate the little girl's imagination. Her father, Alex ( Brionne Davis ), is a kind man who's a writer of children's books, and though frustrated by failure, he dotes on his little girl. However, there are cracks in the relationship between the couple ; Sarah is suffering from depression , which has affected her relationship with her husband. The two are physically distant from each other, not often appearing on-screen together, which clearly demonstrates the rift that has grown in their marriage. Alex's frustrations with his inability to produce a work of notable worth have—in its own way—isolated him from his family and are exacerbated by his wife's depression.

In a harrowing scene, Sarah scoops her daughter up in the middle of the night, and they try to flee the house. It's important to note that she is not escaping his abuse but rather fleeing as a result of her deteriorating mental and emotional state. She wants to escape an uncomfortable situation and spare her daughter the discovery, but Alex discovers her escape plan and gently stops them. Through it all, it's clear that Emma can sense something is wrong but doesn't understand what it is .

This Forgotten 2010s Horror Movie Is a Masterpiece of Old-School Practical Effects

As Sarah and Alex argue about the escape attempt, his disdain for his wife is palpable, and suddenly, in a freak accident, Emma is struck on the head and falls into a coma. Emma wakes to the sound of her mother's radio static voice in an industrial wasteland full of bubbling toxic goo, a phantasmagoria of sight and sound that is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. At the same time, a chattering monster named Teeth ( Morgana Ignis ) stalks her, provoking her fears and indulging in her sorrow. Teeth is addicted to her tears and extracts them from a machine in what is one of the most disturbing flurries of cryptic surreality committed to film. Emma must escape Teeth and follow the sound of her mother's voice toward the land of the wakeful or be trapped in her mind, imprisoned by terror until she dies.

'Moon Garden' Exposes the Terror of Growing Up

Children have an imperfect understanding of adults, as they're reliant on them for their security and emotional state. The stability of one's parents is the primary determining factor in how a child will grow up, and while they do understand the complexities of adulthood, they pick up on the non-verbal cues that parents broadcast despite their limited knowledge. It's not for lack of love on the part of her parents that she feels such existential dread, but she can feel the rift between her parents, and this gives her great anxiety. The world of her coma is populated by psychic representations of her fear of adulthood , a biomechanical wasteland full of terror and pain but also of great beauty. In the lower parts of the realm where Teeth drinks her tears, he subjects her to feelings of isolation and loneliness; these feelings reflect the problems between her parents created out of a child's limited understanding of the world, which makes for a great scary movie .

For Emma to escape Teeth, she must embrace what her parents gave her: to revel in love as an antidote to her sorrow. Her mother's stories are the foundation of her imagination, and her imagination has imprisoned her in some ways. Her father's love is evident in a scene where Teeth is attempting to drown the little girl, where she falls into a beautiful memory of a day at the beach when her parents taught her to swim. What is unconsciously learned in the scene is that one needs to kick one's legs to traverse the ocean of adulthood. Simply put, she needs to be brave, and she needs to fight. So she does, and she escapes. Emma is a composite of her mother's imagination and heart as well as her father's tenacity , making her a formidable force when battling against her terrifying enemy.

Innocence Plays a Major Role in 'Moon Garden'

As Emma is emboldened throughout her journey, she climbs a magic ladder into the sky with a queen from her father's stories, sitting atop a cloud and drifting further away from her mother's voice. In a flashback , she remembers when her mother told her that when riding a cloud, one needs to find a way to control it. Emma quickly figures out that the way to prevent the cloud from moving in the wrong direction is to focus on the good things . Perspective is the answer to despair, and when they find themselves trapped in the ether of their haunting depression, it helps them move toward the good stuff, whatever it may be. In this case, it's a day at the beach, story time with Dad, and cuddling under a blanket with the people who love you. Adults are not perfect, and the world is full of lurking terror, but it only takes a sliver of night to banish the darkness.

The horror elements in Moon Garden are deeply rooted in the little girl's loss of innocence as she confronts the realities of her parents. The film's fantasy elements accentuate the horror aspects by creating a world so foreign to our own that it casts doubt on the hero's ability to navigate the world. It reflects our fears about growing up and dealing with life's moral gray areas , but offers audiences an antidote to this despair by contrasting the darkness with moments of unbridled love and joy. The result is a terrifying but enthralling movie that merits dozens of rewatches for its rich imagery and emotional depth.

Moon Garden is available to watch on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

Watch on Amazon Prime

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‘moon garden’ review: dark fantasy filled with great imagery.

Cry for me.

Moon Garden is a fantasy horror that will take audiences back to their childhoods. Emma (Haven Lee Harris) falls into a coma after a horrible accident. She finds herself in a darkly industrial dreamworld where she is followed by a specter that feeds off her tears. Using a radio that plays the voices of her parents, she tries to find her way back to consciousness with the help of the outrageous characters she meets on the way.

After an emotionally intense opening, the Emma’s adventure begins. It is not long after she awakens in the strange new world that filmmaker Ryan Stevens Harris tips his hand. Moon Garden is not going to be a film that is more of an experience than a story. This is par for the course in these type of fantastical stories. The journey is filled with strange settings and creatures that are meant to transport anyone watching to a different world.

Moon Garden is filled with fantastic imagery. The Big Bad that chases Emma is nightmare fuel who looks frightening, but also makes a constant chittering sound that makes the creature that much more terrifying. There is also great animation, with a great moment being a storytelling session that fills the entire screen in black and red. A floating head tells the story as smoke envelopes it. The human actors are can be lackluster next to the impressive special effects, but there is always something to look at.

The sparse story will turn some viewers off. The film wants to say something serious about how a tumultuous home life can effect children, yet only sparingly addresses it. Emma’s mother Sara (Augie Duke, 2014’s Spring ) is the best example as Moon Garden keeps teasing giving her more depth but ultimately never does anything. The end result is a potentially interesting character that ends up being one of the least engaging parts.

Moon Garden is a darkly beautiful adventure that is part children’s adventure, part horror story. The setting and imagery make up for a story that is often put in the background. There is a degree of patience require to fully enjoy it, but those who love fantasy tales should check this out.

Moon Garden comes to theaters May 19

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MOON GARDEN

(Check out Sammy Levine’s movie review for Moon Garden , in theaters Friday, May 19 via Oscilloscope Laboratories . Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page .)

Moon Garden , the debut feature of Ryan Stevens Harris is a nightmarish fantasia summoning the twisted visions of Wes Craven, hand crafted textures of Guy Maddin, and zaniness of Courage the Cowardly Dog. While Harris’ film wears its influences on its sleeves, Moon Garden slithers to its own relentlessly slippery and dreamlike beat. It’s a deft and gorgeously produced spectacle that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible so it can deliver the biggest nightmares possible. The lush and grainy photography (shot beautifully by DP Wolfgang Meyer) on degraded celluloid with the retro VFX and ethereal score combine to deliver one cohesive bad head trip. But, a good bad head trip. Moon Garden is a true WTF film destined for cult status that is breathlessly ingenious and crafty beyond measure.

The film kicks off as a standard marital drama; a struggling married couple (intensely and convincingly played by Augie Duke and Brionne Davis) staying together for their precocious child Emma (a star marking turn by Haven Lee Harris). Out of the gate, Moon Garden leans into the campy vibes of a Lifetime Movie. This all changes, when suddenly, one moonlit night, during a particular acidic argument between parents, Emma attempts to escape but falls down the stairs. When she awakes (or appears to awake) she is in a haunted land far-far away. From here, we cross-cut between dreamscapes, memories and reality. Emma embarks on her journey through the twisted maze of her subconscious (peppered in with memories of her emotionally mercurial childhood) in search of a portal back to reality. All the while, her parents remain at Emma’s hospital bedside as she fights for her life. On a narrative front, Moon Garden operates as gatling gun firing off all kinds of craziness, garish creatures and crackling sounds; a full carnival of disturbing yet adventurous surreality.

Moon Garden ’s aesthetic resembles a recently discovered long lost attic horror artifact. Its meticulous industrial and ghastly design and bolt tight direction propel the film’s loose dreamy logic and narrative pacing into an ever-engaging twisted lurid nightmare. The production design (by Harris and John Michael Elfers) of this film is sublime; seamlessly interweaves cold antiquated machine imagery (similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street and Eraserhead ) with Terry Gilliam-like fantasy to breathtaking visual effect. In come the fog machines, the tight framing, the unforgettable set pieces (all to the tune of an ominous yet gentle synth soundtrack by Michael Deragon) and you have an unapologetically bold and original vision in full bloom.

Ryan Stevens Harris, who wrote and directed (and edited and animated and sound designed and colored) Moon Garden , has authored a creepy childlike dreamscape of a film. It astonishes and entrances in equal amounts. Although, at times, its surreal giddiness can exhaust, the film knows just when to pull back and allow the narrative and audiences to catch its breath. Ultimately, Moon Garden is a balls-to-the wall piece of genre filmmaking destined to inspire genre film nerds everywhere. This beautifully twisted dark fantasy film is truly a bizarro, singular vision and unforgettably unique spectacle.

– Samuel Levine (@ thesammylevine )

Oscilloscope Laboratories; Ryan Stevens Harris; Moon Garden movie review

Sammy Levine

Sammy Levine is a filmmaker and critic from Atlanta who currently resides in NYC. His obsession with film started at an early age and has only gotten more addictive and consuming. Post UGA graduation, he directed, produced, and wrote his first feature length film Requiem for a Writer (inspired by his favorite novel Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth). When not working his entertainment advertising day job - he has been writing scripts, reviews, and/or working on short films. Sammy has a particular affinity for challenging/stylistic/dark cinema. Boogie Nights is his most watched and loved movie; Sexy Beast ranks a close second. He has made it his life mission to average watching at least one movie a day and so far so good! Also, a deep music lover, you can catch him wherever an alternative folk or dad rock band is playing in NYC.

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Moon Garden

A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness. A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness. A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness.

Ryan Stevens Harris
Brionne Davis
Haven Lee Harris
16 User reviews
39 Critic reviews
28 wins & 15 nominations

Headless Knitter & the Three Faces
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Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Trivia Emma is played by director Ryan Stevens Harris' actual daughter, Haven Lee Harris.

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 37 minutes

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Moon Garden Movie Review: A Beautiful, Nightmarish Ride

It’s easy to see that Ryan Stevens Harris’ feature film debut, Moon Garden , takes its cues from established niche directors such as David Lynch and Guillermo Del Toro. From the eerie, dreamlike world that our main character wanders through for most of the movie to the oddball characters we meet along the way, the influences are certainly noticeable in this 93-minute ride. But it doesn’t take too long for the movie to find its footing and become its own individual feature. And once it does, it truly becomes something that is equally horrifying and emotionally impactful.

Not all adults can fully grasp what a child witnesses during their dreams or nightmares; we can only imagine it as they tell it to us in real time. And even then, we as adults may not be able to get the actual representation correct. But what Harris concocts is something that is so unique to how terrifying a child’s nightmare could be. One could say that it kind of helps to have Harris’ real-life daughter, Haven Lee Harris, play the child star of the movie, Emma. And while that may have been beneficial, Moon Garden is also an exceptional debut that showcases the incredible skillset Harris has as a director, writer, editor, and numerous other roles.

There’s never a moment where some silly monster walks in front of the camera or loud sounds of someone saying “Boo” make a desperate attempt to startle the audience. What Harris has crafted is something that is legitimately terrifying. It’s a lean script in terms of speaking parts, but it’s packed with magnificent visuals.

Emma is the only child of Alex (Brionne Davis) and Sara (Augie Duke). She’s loving, imaginative, and has the bluest eyes of anyone that you’ll meet. Her parents are struggling to keep their marriage intact, as Alex is desperate to get his new novel out and Sara battles depression. Some of the arguments become heated to the point where Alex is borderline violent toward Sara while Emma is present.

One night, as the couple is in the middle of another argument, Emma overhears the two and tries to make them stop. Emma accidentally slips on one of her toys and falls down the stairs, knocking herself unconscious.

While her parents and the medical staff are trying to wake her up, Emma enters a phantasmagoric world that is foggy, vibrant in color, and downright eerie. Emma can see and hear the people in the real world, as they try to resuscitate her. She calls for their attention to let them know she’s OK, and it’s heartbreaking to see when Emma realizes that no one can hear her. The young Harris is incredibly convincing in her debut role.

The characters Emma meets have no name, but each one has their own little quirks and titles to remember them by, such as Musician (Phillip E. Walker) or Groom (Timothy Lee DePriest). They all lend a hand in helping Emma return to the real world and escape the wrath of a character known only as Teeth (Morgana Ignis). This faceless creature roams the world with its teeth chattering nonstop and, on occasion, will do some other unthinkable things with them to antagonize Emma.

By using expired 35mm film stock and vintage rehoused lens, Ryan Stevens Harris is able to take advantage of the grainy, old-fashioned look to make the dreamlike world much more authentic and eerie. Blending that with practical effects and stop-motion animation makes Moon Garden one of the most gorgeous indie features to be released in years.

Harris goes big for his debut feature, and Moon Garden hits all the right spots in being a compelling entry in the horror genre. It’s safe to say that this film will have a following once word of mouth gets around. And it absolutely deserves it.

Moon Garden releases to theaters on May 19, 2023.

David Wangberg

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Vague Visages

Movies, tv & music • independent film criticism • soundtrack guides • forming the future • est. 2014, review: ryan stevens harris’ ‘moon garden’.

Moon Garden Review - 2022 Ryan Stevens Harris Movie Film

Vague Visages’ Moon Garden review contains minor spoilers. Ryan Stevens Harris’ 2022 movie stars Augie Duke, Brionne Davis and Haven Lee Harris. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

Mindful and magical, Moon Garden stays out of its own way. The charming feature debut from Ryan Stevens Harris plays gently with nostalgia but doesn’t bombard the audience with everything, everywhere, all at once . Told from the perspective of a comatose child, Moon Garden celebrates the art of storytelling as a superhero power; a way to strengthen familial bonds across generations, a way to experience otherworldly realms through audiovisual associations.

Moon Garden explores the mind of Emma (Haven Lee Harris), a five-year-old girl who slips into a coma after falling down a basement staircase. The child thinks about her feuding mother and father , along with all the life lessons they provided on especially memorable days. Harris’ world-building and color palette calls to mind the work of Guillermo del Toro, while a series of first-act scare sequences pay homage to classic horror visuals, whether it’s a red room or a hand sprouting from the ground . As young Emma navigates her mind — while using a dream radio to process messages from the real world — the director steadily reinforces audiovisual connections for the audience, thus making it easy to follow the protagonist’s logic.

Moon Garden Review: Related — Know the Cast & Characters: ‘Kindred’

Narrative clarity allows Harris more room to experiment with genre and tone. For example, he incorporates traditional faceless monsters and jump scares but also includes a second half sci-fi sequence that vibes more with Alex Garland’s filmography than 80s-era fantasy flicks. Since Emma naturally can’t think too far into the past (unlike nostalgia-loving viewers), she can only consider what is and what could be. And so Harris’ storytelling and visual design becomes more creative as the protagonist processes her hopes and fears. Moon Garden explains the rhythm of Emma’s mind while frequently returning to a powerful musical motif — Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself.”

Moon Garden Review: Related — Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘The Mother’

Moon Garden’s storytelling techniques resonate just as much as the spectacular visual design. Whereas many dream-state films get in their own way with too much flair, Harris essentially operates as an efficient tour guide, always reminding the audience that there is indeed a clear path out.

More than just another dream-state drama, Moon Garden is a moving ode to mother-daughter bonds . It’s a film about healing and recovery, but it’s also very much about rebirth and all the sounds that influence our journey from the womb to the real world, or from a place of darkness to a place of enlightenment.

Moon Garden released on May 19, 2023 via Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Q.V. Hough ( @QVHough ) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

Moon Garden Review: Related — Know the Cast & Characters: ‘Missing’

Categories: 2020s , 2023 Film Reviews , 2023 Horror Reviews , Drama , Fantasy , Featured , Horror

Tagged as: Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Moon Garden , Q.V. Hough , Ryan Stevens Harris

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Movies & pop culture, moon garden: a visual feast with delightfully frightful beasts.

First, I want to say I’m proud to have been a part of Moon Garden ’s first showing in Houston. In my ideal world, every movie is capable of showing the same passion for cinema as Moon Garden , unfortunately, this is not the case. Moon Garden is shot on expired 35mm film stock with recycled lenses. It is also director Ryan Stevens Harris ‘s debut feature. He previously worked as a film editor on projects such as Moonfall and Midway .

What is Moon Garden ?

Moon Garden is a nightmarish odyssey through the perspective of a comatose girl, Emma, played by Haven Lee Harris, the daughter of director Ryan Stevens Harris. I can’t give enough praise to her performance in this film, I was genuinely terrified for her. Emma makes her way through a perilous journey accompanied by several key figures in her mind.

Guided by her mother’s voice, Emma must escape danger and find a way back to the conscious world. Moon Garden integrates stop motion animation throughout to make the fantasy world come to life.

Review: A Visual Feast With Delightfully Frightful Beasts

This is the first movie I’ve seen in quite some time that holds a grip on you as though you’re Malcom McDowell in A Clockwork Orange.

Don’t be mistaken, I mean that in the best way possible. The 93 minute runtime of this film simultaneously feels like an eternity and not enough time. Augie Duke, the mother of Emma in the film, nails her role as a slightly unstable, misunderstood figure who cares for her daughter deeply despite her issues.

The use of the song Without You written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger , covered by the duo Air Supply , sung in the film by Duke is haunting, soothing and a perfect fit. Quickly off topic, the only reason I mention Air Supply in here is because I felt the song in the film matched the tempo and rhythm of their version better but that could be entirely made up in my mind.

The opening camera work in Moon Garden is fantastic; the aesthetic of the expired film stock appeals to me completely. Some of the sets used in the film are reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street which lends an inherent darkness that is fully taken advantage of. The creatures Ryan Stevens Harris is able to create are nothing short of stunning. The storytelling throughout the film could’ve been a little better, but if you’re anything like me, that won’t matter one bit as the visual narrative is really what you’re there for.

What should you expect watching Moon Garden?

The answer is absolutely nothing. Go in with no expectations and let your mind be sucked into the world in front of you. Visual storytelling is in some ways a lost art. The animation in the film is a welcome sight from someone who truly loves movies. Ryan Stevens Harris pours out a bit of himself in every frame and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. The work put into this film is inspiring especially if you have more than a casual relationship with movies.

Is Moon Garden only for arthouse fans?

Absolutely not. Anyone and everyone can and should get the opportunity to see this film. Not only to support the little guys in the industry, which you definitely should do, but also to enjoy an extremely well made horror/fantasy film.

Where can I watch Moon Garden?

At the time that this article is being written, there are no available screenings in Houston. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, please. Keep this on your radar because it has a very limited release. Go support this film so you and I can enjoy the good things in life. In twenty years I don’t want the only releases to be Transformers 14 or Fast and Furious 17 . No hate on either of the franchises, but it’s just not the same as original, passionate work like Moon Garden.

Final Thoughts

The vast majority of films have their flaws and this is no exception to the rule. However, that should not keep anyone from seeing this fine example of passionate filmmaking. If you are truthfully a fan of movies you will have no problem falling in love with this. Final note, if you enjoyed the film, check out the original short Every Dream is a Child With Teeth by Ryan Stevens Harris.

Recommendation: See this wherever available

Check out our other Pop Culture coverage here on the blog including our reviews of The Little Mermaid (2023), Beau is Afraid , The Super Mario Bros. Movie , John Wick 4 , and more.

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Moon Garden

By Bobby LePire | June 9, 2023

Moon Garden is what would’ve happened if Terry Gilliam directed MirrorMask (we can all agree Tideland never happened, right?). The dramatic horror fantasy is the sophomore feature of writer-director Ryan Stevens Harris and his first in roughly a decade. That is a long gap, though he’s had a few shorts in that time span.

The film is about the trivials of Emma (Haven Lee Harris), a young girl whose father works all the time while her mom is prone to flights of fancy and overreactions. This dichotomy pits said parents, Sara (Augie Duke) and Alex (Brionne Davis), against each other seemingly every waking moment. One night, Emma overhears a particularly intense fight. In her attempt to retreat, she falls down the stairs and winds up in a coma.

Emma awakens in a strange industrial land filled with monstrous creatures and ill-mannered folks. As she wanders this frightening world, the girl sees glimpses of her parents distraught over her condition in the hospital. However, getting back seems to be impossible, especially since the horrific Teeth (Morgana Ignis) is chasing Emma. Then there’s the creepy-looking (undead?) Groom (Timothy Lee DePriest), who puts the literal child to work as a maid. Can Emma escape back to the real world, or will she succumb to the harshness of this fantastical yet eerie dreamland?

Moon Garden tells a simple story. Maybe too simple. Elements meant to give Sara and Alex more dimensions are woefully underutilized. Alex always has a deadline to meet, thus the constant working. But what exactly is that deadline for? Did he have this job when he and Sara first got together? Why is it coming to a head now? Sara is just as much a blank slate. Why is she opposed to potentially life-saving surgery for her daughter? Are her breaks from reality becoming more frequent, or has she always been like this? For that matter, what is Teeth’s ultimate goal surrounding Emma?

“ Emma awakens in a strange industrial land filled with monstrous creatures…”

Bear in mind nothing just said is the fault of the actors. Davis is creepy but still comes across as a good father, which is a hard line to walk. Duke once again proves she’s one of the most versatile and compelling actors working in indies today. Ignis delivers a wonderfully eerie performance, moving very unnaturally, being all the creepier for it. DePriest is a bloody delight as the glammed-up, dance-happy Groom. Also, seeing Maria Olsen in a more heroic, non-horror role is cool.

But Moon Garden is Emma’s story, and in this regard, the film works. For starters, the young Harris is perfect in the role. She conveys the right amount of intrigue, fear, and wonder at all she sees around her. The character is also the only one with any real depth, which is appropriate for obvious reasons. The performance and character writing merge to create a compelling arc through a strange and hazardous world.

Speaking of, filmmaker Harris proves quite adept at realizing the fantasy land. Most of the effects are practical and look stunning. A lizard/dinosaur thing controlled by yarn is epic in size. The makeup bringing Teeth to life is jawdropping for any film, much less an independent production. The visuals are where the true power of any film lies, and in that regard, this does not disappoint at all.

Moon Garden tells a story that has been done in fantasies time and time again. Plus, the supporting characters need a bit more to them to be memorable beyond what the cast brings to the table. Still, the lead is perfectly acted and written, and the visuals, from the effects to the cinematography and lighting, are immaculate. As such, fans will have a good time with expectations properly adjusted.

Moon Garden (2023)

Directed and Written: Ryan Stevens Harris

Starring: Haven Lee Harris, Augie Duke, Brionne Davis, Morgana Ignis, Timothy Lee DePriest, Maria Olsen, etc.

Movie score: 7.5/10

"…the young Harris is perfect..."

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Moon garden.

Directed by Ryan Stevens Harris

Journey beyond the dark.

A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through a dark industrial dreamscape, following her mother's voice on a transistor radio to find her way back to consciousness.

Augie Duke Brionne Davis Haven Lee Harris Morgana Ignis Maria Olsen Timothy Lee DePriest Phillip E. Walker Emily Meister Angelica Ulloa Téa Mckay Joel Pelletier Wolfgang Meyer Will Sexton Kevin James Barry Rachael Wagner Colleen Harris

Director Director

Ryan Stevens Harris

Producers Producers

John Michael Elfers Colleen Harris Will Sexton Ken Locsmandi

Writer Writer

Editor editor, cinematography cinematography.

Wolfgang Meyer

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Production design production design.

John Michael Elfers Ryan Stevens Harris Delarey Wagener

Art Direction Art Direction

Visual effects visual effects.

Ryan Stevens Harris Jeffrey Olney Michael A. Martinez

Composer Composer

Michael Deragon

Sound Sound

Shawn K. Clement Ryan Stevens Harris Darin Heinis Bill Millsap Craig Ouellette Mayra Rodriguez Michael Russo

Makeup Makeup

Rachael Wagner Kristina Ellery Sasha Glasser Lili Eve Kaytmaz Jennifer Patterson

Fire Trial Films Oscilloscope

Releases by Date

10 jun 2022, 10 dec 2023.

Theatrical limited

19 May 2023

26 feb 2024, releases by country.

Premiere 12 PIFFF Paris International Fantastic Film Festival
Premiere NR Dances With Films

96 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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This is a visually stunning fantasy horror about a little girl who slips into a coma and has to navigate through, per the movie, “an industrial wonderland” to get back to consciousness. It’s like a lower budget version of The Cell but make it a fairytale story instead of a serial killer horror. This is horror, but it has some serious feels moments so just know that…

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Moon Garden : -Effective visuals -Okay actors

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Vegan alert: -Feather on the wind -Family trauma

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This was so artistic and visually captivating, with really imaginative little sets that were clearly crafted out of a bunch of found items and turned into something totally different. I'm also so obsessed with the monster design (TEETH! TEETH! TEETH!) So much dark fantastical and stylistic wonder achieved with practical effects, beautiful!! I tend to forget how much I can enjoy films like this, where a child adventures through a sinister fantasy world. Moon Garden brings to mind films like Paperhouse , MirrorMask , Pan's Labyrinth , Time Bandits , etc. But is as drastically different from all of those as they are from each other. I absolutely teared up a few times, the lead 5 year old actress is so cute and you…

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An independent and deeply personal take on a visually imaginitive fantasy story like "Labyrinth (1986)" or Lewis Caroll's "Alice in Wonderland", except this is not for children as it's filled-to-the-brim with nightmare fuel.

"Moon Garden" from director Ryan Stevens Harris tells the tale of an unhappy marriage with mother Sara (Augie Duke) planning to drive off and take her 5-year old daughter Emma (Haven Lee Harris, the director's daughter) away from her workaholic father Alex (Brionne Davis). When Sara got caught by Alex during an escape attempt an heated argument ensues, one where their daughter trips down a flight of stairs when she gets distressed. She falls into a deep coma into a world of industrial surreal nightmares where Emma,…

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Review by Nadine Whitney ★★★★

Yes, the influences are clear, but who cares when the end result is so immersive and hypnotic?

Truly captures the child’s imagination and wish fulfilment. A fantasy, a fairy tale, a nightmare, a dream.

The animation and design is simply stunning. More films need to look like this.

Review by Marnie Milky ★★½

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Moon Garden

Moon Garden Movie Review

Written by Stephen McClurg

Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories

Written and directed by Ryan Stevens Harris 2022, 93 minutes, Not Rated Released on May 16th, 2023

Starring: Haven Lee Harris as Emma Augie Duke as Sarah Brionne Davis as Alex Morgana Ignis as Teeth Maria Olsen as Princess Philip E. Walker as Musician Timothy Lee Depriest as Groom

One of the toughest, truest moments in Moon Garden is when Alex (Brionne Davis) speaks to his daughter Emma (Haven Lee Harris) through a walkie-talkie into the beyond. While he empties his heart into her, attempting to convey the inexpressible, she gets distracted and turns off the device. It’s gutting, but a good metaphor for what parenting is often like. We can’t protect our children from everything. Regardless of our profound love for them, we must allow them to grow, move on, and discover their own paths. Sometimes love is, at best, not understood by the beloved, and at worst, inconsequential to them. Parenthood is a risk like most forms of love, which is at the heart of Moon Garden .

Set against the backdrop of a family’s struggles with the demands of work, family, and artistic pursuits without the luxury of financial independence, an accident puts them face-to-face with the loss of their child. Moon Garden feels like a contemporary gothic descendant of Jan Švankmajer's Alice (1988). It fuses elements of a dark American fairy tale retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the steampunk sci-fi ambiance of The City of Lost Children (1995). Initially resembling the tone of Pan's Labyrinth (2006), but where domestic abuse fuels the allegory rather than fascism and the Spanish Civil War, Moon Garden thankfully diverges from that path. While the movie doesn’t break new ground, it does provide a new translation of an archetypal story.

Though the film is about a child dealing with life and death, it is more whimsical than something like Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017), which confronts contemporary children living in extreme conditions. Some may find it too sentimental. For those who find it lacking cynicism, Emma's confrontation with a villain, proclaiming, "You're just all empty," might offer a response. I can understand that position, particularly from a college-age audience, but if you’ve raised children, your perspective will differ. And far from being saccharine, Moon Garden and Haven Lee Harris’s performance effectively capture a magic window in childhood development, say roughly between the ages of two to five, when there are lots of questions, a lot of games, a lot of work, but also a lot of discovery and joy.

Contrary to my expectations, the movie does not rely heavily on stop-motion animation. However, it blends an array of media and practical effects, which, despite potential budget constraints, evoke a charmingly effective aesthetic. The visuals are remarkably crisp, to the extent I mistook it for digital cinematography, but later found out it was, in fact, shot on 35mm film. I wanted more film grain or a slightly grittier appearance, but maybe that’s nostalgia. Nonetheless, the colors are exquisitely vibrant and would make Mario Bava proud. As with Abruptio , my primary visual critique lies with the appearance of computer-generated two-dimensional cartoons, which I found more a distraction than an enhancement.

If you like your horror sarcastic or slashery, this won’t be your thing. Seeing a child in peril might be triggering for some, but the film lives in the space of dark fairy tales rather than the darkness of the human soul. Moon Garden asks us to cherish a kind of innocence, one where the costs of living never outweigh the costs of loving.

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FilmSnobReviews

Review: Moon Garden

Title: Moon Garden MPAA Rating: Not Rated Director: Ryan Stevens Harris Starring: Augie Duke, Haven Lee Harris, Brionne Davis Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: Emma (Harris) is a little girl who tries not to worry about the fate of her parents’ increasingly turbulent marriage and fixes herself to her imagination to cope. Her mother (Duke) attempts to take her and Emma away and separate from Emma’s father, but the attempt fails, leading to her parents having a great big fight, upsetting Emma, and causing her to run away only to fall down the stair and hit her head, putting herself into a coma. As a result, Emma is stuck in a strange and sometimes terrifying dream world and has to find her way back to her parents.

What We Think: Honestly, I think a part of me wasn’t sure movies like these were still being made, which is a little cynical of me, but also serves this film as even more of a refreshing, pleasant surprise. For what I hope is what it takes to put its filmmaker in the spotlight, this surreal-adventure odyssey harkens back to the days of strange and epic fantasy movies with memorable designs and layered atmospheres, much like The Neverending Story , Labyrinth , Spirited Away, Alice in Wonderland, and Coraline… The sheer craft that it took to create this movie goes above and beyond where others would struggle to convey a lot of the imagery and concepts, this filmmaker makes it look convincingly straight out of a dream, with every shot a painting. The scope of which were able to traverse these dreamscapes is also an incredible feat, as our leading girl Emma finds herself in a variety of surreal scenes and coming across odd characters, all of which the designs for nail an uncanny creepy yet warm nostalgia, tied with an at-times heartwrenching emotional story that will surely connect to brave kids and adults alike. I found this work to be strikingly personal, with the young Harris as the lead convincing and a joy to watch. Her parents also turn out to be very well-written, with loving and surprisingly intimate dialogue that reminds us of how difficult it can be to be a parent or even just an adult. With an amazing script, the emotional story folds so beautifully into the visuals as–and it’s hard to even describe–Emma’s fantastical journey parallels her own experiences and feelings, and the potential she has to enjoy life itself. Being put in her shoes as she navigates through bizarre, nonsensical landscapes and overcomes obstacles through sheer will makes you feel like a little kid feeling all these fears and emotions and internal conflicts for the first time; the experience is absolutely magical, as it is valuable both narratively and visually.

Our Grade: A, Daring and insanely creative, this cerebral film is sure to permeate your consciousness as it awakens something nostalgic within its older audience, without sacrificing the engagement of the child within. I could honestly imagine being a young girl and seeing this for the first time and having my mind blown, but viewing it as a 23-year-old woman still hits home as it brings me back to my own lucid dreams and intense discoveries as a child, and how much I loved the idea of exploring new, fantastical worlds. Moon Garden is an enchanting, enthralling project with intelligent and limitless design all in its diverse film techniques, impressive yet practical editing, gorgeous cinematography, and keen direction. I’m eager to see more from its filmmaker, and I feel so grateful for such a rich cinematic experience, I’m urging anyone else with a playful imagination to take a leap into this intensely cool, beautiful sure-to-be cult classic, especially since it’s arriving in theaters very soon.

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‘Moon Garden’ Trailer: A Delicious And Terrifying Feast For The Senses

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Ryan Stevens Harris’s film Moon Garden is a sumptuous visual feast that tells the tale of a young girl on a dangerous journey through an unknown land. Sure, we’ve heard that story before, but we’ve never seen it told like this. Harris takes a hero’s journey, a tale as old as time, and covers it with his own unique, twisted, and deeply beautiful aesthetic. Think Pan’s Labyrinth or Mad God .

Read the full synopsis below:

Five-year-old Emma’s life teeters between happy moments and intense parental conflict. Comatose after an accident at home, Emma is propelled into a journey through an industrial wonderland, encountering various strange and visually intriguing figures and situations inspired by her imagination, on her way back to consciousness. Shot on expired 35mm film stock with vintage lenses, and utilizing stop motion animation, practical effects, and miniatures, Moon Garden is a meticulously constructed, lush, dark, fantasy odyssey.

Get a small taste for the terrifying fantasy that awaits you in the film’s official trailer:

When it was first announced that Oscilloscope acquired Moon Garden last year, Harris said, “[this film] is a unique project, years in the making—a dark fantasy dashed with bittersweet drama, filtered through the dark lens of a midnight movie.”

In her review from the 2022 edition of FilmQuest, Dread Central’s Sharai Bohannon wrote, “ Moon Garden is a fun ride that makes it easy to love. It’s equal parts rockabilly, heart, and wonder. It’s a feast for the eyes.”

Haven Lee Harris, Augie Duke, Brionne Davis, Maria Olsen, Timothy Lee DePriest, Phillip E. Walker, and Morgana Ignis star in the film.

Moon Garden comes to theaters later this year.

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Killers of the Flower Moon author David Grann on the film's message: 'This is still living history'

The author breaks down the differences between his book and Martin Scorsese’s film — and the still lingering effects of the Osage reign of terror.

Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references.

David Grann is no stranger to having his writing adapted for film. The popular author and New Yorker staff writer has become a staple on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list, and his writing has inspired films including The Lost City of Z, The Old Man and the Gun , and Trial By Fire. Now, his work is reaching a new audience, with Martin Scorsese adapting his book Killers of the Flower Moon (in theaters now).

When Grann first published his book in 2017 , it shined new light on an oft-overlooked chapter in American history: the Osage reign of terror in 1920s Oklahoma, when a group of white settlers targeted and systematically murdered wealthy Osage people. Lily Gladstone stars as Osage woman Mollie Burkhart, with Leonardo DiCaprio as her white husband Ernest and Robert De Niro as Ernest's powerful uncle William "King" Hale.

Grann first started researching in 2012, and he spent years conducting interviews and meeting with members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. His book chronicles the early days of the FBI and how the bureau investigated the killings, but it's also a much broader history, exploring the history of the Osage and how the effects of these murders still linger today. Scorsese has said before that his initial drafts of the film focused primarily on the FBI, but the script went through major changes — particularly by shifting the film's perspective to Mollie and Ernest Burkhart.

Here, Grann opens up about the changes Scorsese made from his book and what he hopes audiences take away from this not-so-distant history.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You spent years researching the book, and the film took several more years to get to the screen. What's it been like to watch the reaction to the film now that it's out?

DAVID GRANN: For me, the main reason I embarked on the project originally was to address my own ignorance and the fact that so many others outside the Osage Nation were unfamiliar with this history. The most rewarding part of watching and following this journey is to see this history radiating out into the world, to see people beginning to have conversations about it and filling in what too many Americans had really excised from their consciousness and their conscience.

I spent about half a decade working on the book with members of the Osage Nation, recording stories from the Osage elders. What has been really important and gratifying to see was the level of involvement of the Osage Nation in shaping the movie. They've been involved at every level, from the production to the costume designs to making sure that the Osage language was spoken to the Osage actors who have speaking roles. That's been remarkable to see.

I spoke to some of the Osage consultants who worked on the film , and they all talked about how important it was to them to actually film on Osage land with Osage involvement.

It's what gives the film its power, I think, and its authenticity. I remember when I visited the set, I encountered many members of the Osage Nation, many of whom had become friends of mine over the years. They were acting in the film and playing key roles. Some of them were central to my book and research, and many of them are descendants of people who were killed during the Osage reign of terror.

One of the scenes I watched that was so powerful is the scene with the Osage tribal council. There's an incredible oration by Yancy Redcorn and Everett Waller, and I've been told that a good deal of what ended up in that scene was them improvising, taking from their own lives and the oral histories that were passed down to them. I've been told that when Scorsese heard them, he said, "Oh, let's make sure we put that in the film." It gives the film its kind of bracing power.

You spent many years researching someone like Mollie Burkhart, piecing together her life through interviews and historical documents. What's it like to see Lily Gladstone bring her to life on screen?

It's an unusual process because when you're a historian, the people you get to know are two-dimensional. You get to know them through documents or photographs. You get to know them through snippets of testimony and letters and transcripts that you might uncover, but they're not three-dimensional or fully inhabited. There's always a kind of surrealness when you see these people — especially Mollie — suddenly brought to life. Suddenly, her conscious is being inhabited.

For me, Mollie Burkhart was always the heart and soul of the book. The whole first third of the book is from her perspective, and then the last third is told largely from the descendants' point of view, reconstructing what had happened to her and her family. I can't think of anyone who could have played her better than Lily Gladstone. Mollie had this quiet force about her. She was somebody who was born in this lodge, speaking Osage and practicing the Osage traditions. As a young girl, she was forcibly uprooted from her home and made to go to one of these boarding schools, where she was no longer allowed to speak the Osage language. She had to capture what they referred to as "the white man's tongue." She could no longer wear her blanket. And then within just a couple of decades, she's living in a large house because of the oil money. She has married her chauffeur, Ernest Burkhart, this white settler. So, she's somebody who straddles not only two centuries but two civilizations.

One of the things that always struck me about her was that as her family is being systematically targeted, she begins to crusade for justice. She is banging on the doors of the authorities, trying to offer evidence and testimony. She is hiring private detectives, she's putting out rewards, and while she's doing all of this, she is putting a bullseye on her back, which she knows. It took this remarkable force and courage, and I thought Lily captures that so well and so brilliantly. I mean, I'm not a cinephile, but she kind of reminds me of a silent actress in a way. It was the first time I could really understand the power of what a silent actress does. She does so much just in her expressions.

For you as a historian and as a reporter, how did you go about understanding Ernest and Mollie's marriage? It's one thing to follow the facts — when they were married, how many children they had — but how did you try to understand the actual feelings they had for one another? It seems from your book and the film that there was real love there, but also tremendous cruelty and betrayal.

Obviously, when you look back in time and these people are no longer living, it is one of the things you're trying to understand: What was this relationship between them? There were several documents and little bits of testimony that gave a sense that there had been this genuine affection between them, and Ernest did share some affection for her. You can see that in the letters. I found a letter from Mollie to Ernest where you get a sense of that. I think she refers to him as "my dear husband."

I asked many Osage this question, including the descendants of the family and others. It's unfathomable for her to have thought that somebody would be marrying into her family while plotting to kill her and possibly even her children. At least in the early parts, she shares genuine affection for Ernest, not realizing exactly who he is.

The other thing that was so critical for me in trying to understand Mollie was interviewing the descendants. One of the people I tracked down was Margie Burkhart, who's the granddaughter of Mollie. She was so helpful to me on so many levels. She shared with me oral histories. She also shared what she had heard, which is that there was affection between them. That affection was then betrayed in the most horrifying way. In talking to Margie, one of the things she did was underscore for me how this is still living history. We're not talking about colonial times. When I was doing research, it was less than a century ago. Even today, it's just a century ago.

I remember she shared a photograph with me. It was a photograph of her father, who was Mollie's son Cowboy, and Mollie's daughter Elizabeth. It showed them as two little kids, maybe 6 or 7. They're holding the hands of a man. As you follow your eyes up the photograph, the photo is ripped off at the neck of the man. I obviously suspected what it was, but I asked her, "What happened?" She said, "Well, my father ripped it off." It showed his father, Ernest Burkhart, whom he referred to as "dynamite."

That's what's so powerful about this story. Like you said, it's not colonial times. This was just a generation ago.

It really does still reverberate to this day. I don't know if this is a digression, but to me, one of the most important parts of this history and what I hope people will understand is that when I originally began researching this book, I thought of it as this kind of singular evil figure who committed these crimes. It was William K. Hale who committed them, with his nephew Ernest and another henchman. I believed that because that was the theory the FBI had put forward, and that was the widely accepted version of the history.

But the more research I did into this and as I spoke to many of the Osage elders, they would share with me history and records about other killings in their family, other suspicious deaths that were never properly investigated by the FBI and that were not connected to William Hale. And I found other records that really revealed that this had been a systematic murder campaign.

So, after spending about a year and a half on this book project, my original conception of the book was completely destroyed. I realized that this was much less a story about who did it than who didn't do it. It was really about this culture of killing and complicity. I think the film shows that, and you get glimpses of that. This was really about the many people who were carrying out these crimes. There were doctors who would be administering poison, and there's evidence of morticians who would ignore a bullet wound. There were all these guardians and businessmen and lawmen who were in on it or on the take. And there were many others who were complicit in their silence — all because they were getting wealthy from what they referred to as the, quote, "Indian business."

I hope that people who watch the movie and dig into the history further will reckon with that part of that story. It's much easier if we think of this history as one bad apple, and if you just remove that figure, it's easier to process. But what I think we need to process is that these crimes were really systematic and societal.

Martin Scorsese has talked quite a lot about how his initial film script focused more on that FBI investigation and had a more narrow scope, until he reframed the story to focus more on Mollie and Ernest . How did you feel about that shift in focus?

So, the book was really told in three points of view. The first point of view was Mollie's; the second point of view was the FBI's; and the third point of view was from the present and from the descendants, showing that although the FBI caught a couple of killers, they really had failed to expose the much deeper conspiracy. It was a kind of a triptych of a book and a very sweeping history. It goes all the way back to when the Osage laid claim to the central part of the country and all the way up to the present. In a film, I don't think that's possible. You can't, nor should you. So, I think their decision to focus on that relationship was the right decision.

I remember when they first called me [about changing the focus], I said, "Oh yeah, I would definitely do that." I never saw the first script, so I don't really know exactly what it contained. But if you just focus on the second part, it would have been a misrepresentation of the history; it would have only been a slice. I think focusing on this relationship was the right decision because that relationship is also very representational of the crimes that took place. If you can kind of understand that relationship a little bit, you can begin to understand what happened on a macro level. So, I thought that was the right way to go about it.

Your writing has been adapted into films several times below. I'm curious: What, if anything, felt different about this film?

I feel really lucky and blessed because as a writer, you don't have that much control over these projects. And I don't try to because I never aspired to write movies or be in the film business. I really love what I do, and I focus on that. For me, the trick is always getting it into the hands of people who really know what they're doing. In that regard, I feel really blessed to have had a chance to work with James Gray, Ed Zwick, and so many of these other really talented filmmakers and actors.

I will say that none of those projects were of this scale and magnitude. I'll also say that this film deals with a history that is so sobering and really one of the worst racial injustices in American history. So, based on the subject matter and the scale, in that sense, it was different. And therefore, the development of the project was different.

Any writer who says they're not nervous when a book is going to be adapted is lying. You're nervous about what could happen, especially with a subject matter like this. But the second that Scorsese and his team came on board, and the second they began working with the Osage Nation and they decided to shoot on location, I knew they were going to do something lasting and something that would be authentic. For me, the thing that makes this film so good is that it's its own thing. It's a complement to the book, but we're both moving towards the same deeper truths, through our own distinct mediums.

I know Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have also acquired the film rights to another one of your books, The Wager. How do you feel about them teaming up again to tackle that story?

I got a front-row seat to watching them develop Killers of the Flower Moon. I can't underscore enough how they showed such a level of care to the history and a real commitment to the story. So when they expressed interest in The Wager, it was the easiest decision I've ever made. [ Laughs ] I don't think the project could be in better hands.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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IMAGES

‘Moon Garden’ Review: Malice in Wonderland
Moon Garden (2022)
Moon Garden (2022) Film Review
Moon Garden (2022) Film Review
Moon Garden (2023)
’Moon Garden’ review: Ryan Stevens Harris [Grimmfest 2022]

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Moon Maiden Turnaround
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COMMENTS

Moon Garden movie review & film summary (2023)
It is a horror/fantasy that puts every bit of its imagination on the screen and constantly impresses with its DIY spectacle. Written and directed by Harris, "Moon Garden" primarily takes place inside the mind of a little girl named Emma ( Haven Lee Harris, Ryan's daughter). The five-year-old is currently in a coma, having tumbled down ...
Moon Garden
Jun 20, 2023 Full Review Hope Madden MaddWolf Of its many successes Moon Garden can boast set design, creature design and stop motion work at the top. All are very solid, and all collaborate to ...
Moon Garden
Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jun 9, 2023. A freakish visual delight told from an unconventional perspective. Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 6, 2023. More than just another dream ...
'Moon Garden' Review: Malice in Wonderland
Harris seems bored by his film's opening sequence, a chintzy melodrama about a girl named Emma (his own daughter Haven Lee Harris, just 4-years-old when she started the project) and her ...
This Dark Fantasy Horror Move Brings all Your Childhood ...
Moon Garden, written and directed by Ryan Stevens Harris, is a 2022 dark fantasy horror film that mesmerizes and terrorizes by sublimating childhood anxieties through a richly textured, dark ...
'Moon Garden' review: Dark fantasy filled with great imagery
Moon Garden is filled with fantastic imagery. The Big Bad that chases Emma is nightmare fuel who looks frightening, but also makes a constant chittering sound that makes the creature that much more terrifying. There is also great animation, with a great moment being a storytelling session that fills the entire screen in black and red.
Moon Garden (film)
Moon Garden is a 2022 American dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Ryan Stevens Harris, and starring Haven Lee Harris, Augie Duke, Brionne Davis, Maria Olsen, Timothy Lee DePriest, Philip E. Walker, and Morgana Ignis. The film follows a young girl named Emma (Haven Lee Harris) who slips into a coma and finds herself in a surreal, industrial dream world where she is haunted by a ...
'Moon Garden' Is Magical, Beautiful, And Sad
Moon Garden is a stop-motion steampunk fantastical fever dream filled with heart and incredible visuals. Read the review on Dread Central. ... It turns out the movie was also shot on expired 35mm ...
Moon Garden (2022)
8/10. Sublime!! paulclaassen 26 September 2023. 'Moon Garden' is a unique and beautiful movie. Sadly, viewers who don't have an active imagination will never understand it. 'Moon Garden' is a sublime metaphorical visualization of thoughts, memories and events - from a child's perspective.
MOON GARDEN
Ultimately, Moon Garden is a balls-to-the wall piece of genre filmmaking destined to inspire genre film nerds everywhere. This beautifully twisted dark fantasy film is truly a bizarro, singular vision and unforgettably unique spectacle. - Samuel Levine (@thesammylevine) Oscilloscope Laboratories; Ryan Stevens Harris; Moon Garden movie review
Moon Garden (2022)
Moon Garden: Directed by Ryan Stevens Harris. With Augie Duke, Brionne Davis, Haven Lee Harris, Morgana Ignis. A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness.
Moon Garden Movie Review: A Beautiful, Nightmarish Ride
It's easy to see that Ryan Stevens Harris' feature film debut, Moon Garden, takes its cues from established niche directors such as David Lynch and Guillermo Del Toro.From the eerie, dreamlike world that our main character wanders through for most of the movie to the oddball characters we meet along the way, the influences are certainly noticeable in this 93-minute ride.
Moon Garden
All Reviews Editor's Choice Game Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Tech Reviews. Discover. Videos. ... Moon Garden: Watch the Trailer for the Upcoming Fantasy Film. Feb 10, 2023. Moon Garden. 1.
Moon Garden Review: Q.V. Hough on the 2022 Film
Moon Garden Review: Related — Know the Cast & Characters: 'Kindred' Narrative clarity allows Harris more room to experiment with genre and tone. For example, he incorporates traditional faceless monsters and jump scares but also includes a second half sci-fi sequence that vibes more with Alex Garland's filmography than 80s-era fantasy ...
Moon Garden: A Visual Feast With Delightfully Frightful Beasts
First, I want to say I'm proud to have been a part of Moon Garden's first showing in Houston.In my ideal world, every movie is capable of showing the same passion for cinema as Moon Garden, unfortunately, this is not the case.Moon Garden is shot on expired 35mm film stock with recycled lenses. It is also director Ryan Stevens Harris's debut feature.
Moon Garden Featured, Reviews Film Threat
Ignis delivers a wonderfully eerie performance, moving very unnaturally, being all the creepier for it. DePriest is a bloody delight as the glammed-up, dance-happy Groom. Also, seeing Maria Olsen in a more heroic, non-horror role is cool. But Moon Garden is Emma's story, and in this regard, the film works.
‎Moon Garden (2022) directed by Ryan Stevens Harris • Reviews, film
Moon Garden: -Effective visuals-Okay actors . I was wondering the whole time if the child was like, "Please let me be okay, so I can go back to hearing Mommy and Daddy fighting every day." Vegan alert:-Feather on the wind-Family trauma . This is the 15th film I saw through the 2nd incarnation of MoviePass.
Moon Garden
Moon Garden - Metacritic. Summary When a little girl has a terrible accident and slips into a coma, she finds herself thrust into a darkly surreal industrial dreamworld. Haunted by a nightmarish spectre that feeds off her tears, she must follow her mother's radio-static voice to find her way back to consciousness. Drama.
Moon Garden
Review: One of the toughest, truest moments in Moon Garden is when Alex (Brionne Davis) speaks to his daughter Emma (Haven Lee Harris) through a walkie-talkie into the beyond. While he empties his heart into her, attempting to convey the inexpressible, she gets distracted and turns off the device.
MOON GARDEN
Review by Mark Dujsik | May 18, 2023. Writer/director Ryan Stevens Harris offers up an imaginative, handmade nightmare with Moon Garden. It's a creative, unsettling, and heartfelt film, made with obvious passion and an admirable sense of do-it-yourself craft. ... Moon Garden creates a unique world of childhood dreams undercut by harsh reality ...
Moon Garden Trailer #1 (2023)
Check out the Official Trailer for Moon Garden starring Augie Duke and Haven Lee Harris! Buy Tickets on Fandango: https://www.fandango.com/moon-garden-2023...
Review: Moon Garden
Title: Moon Garden MPAA Rating: Not Rated Director: Ryan Stevens Harris Starring: Augie Duke, Haven Lee Harris, Brionne Davis Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins What It Is: Emma (Harris) is a little girl who tries not to worry about the fate of her parents' increasingly turbulent marriage and fixes herself to her imagination to cope.Her mother (Duke) attempts to take her and Emma away and separate from ...
'Moon Garden' Trailer: A Terrifying Feast For The Senses
In her review from the 2022 edition of FilmQuest, Dread Central's Sharai Bohannon wrote, "Moon Garden is a fun ride that makes it easy to love. It's equal parts rockabilly, heart, and wonder.
Review: Paul Schrader shows he hasn't lost his edge in strange
In the early minutes of "Master Gardener," we hear the title character's thoughts as he writes in his journal. He reflects on how this plant must be watered this way, and this other plant must be pruned in precisely that way, and if it weren't for the fact that the gardener sounds absolutely obsessed, you would never guess that this is a Paul Schrader film.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Movie Review
With a 3.5-hour runtime, Scorsese has plenty of room to set the stage, and so he begins with several sequences (a funeral, an oil-slick dance, a silent-film history) to paint the richness of the ...
Killers of the Flower Moon author David Grann on the differences
author David Grann on the film's message: 'This is still living history'. The author breaks down the differences between his book and Martin Scorsese's film — and the still lingering effects ...
Review: 'Master Gardener' plants ideas that it doesn't harvest
Review: 'Master Gardener' plants ideas that don't grow. Analysis. Edgerton's performance as Narvel is the strongest part of "Master Gardener." When he's educating viewers about plants, how flowers ...

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