Woken – Review

Woken creeps in quietly, like a dream you can’t quite shake off the next morning. Set in a grim post-pandemic future, the film swaps blockbuster chaos for paranoia, isolation, and a constant feeling that something’s not quite right – and thankfully, that approach works far more often than it doesn’t.

Erin Kellyman is excellent as Anna, a woman who wakes up on a remote island with no memory whatsoever and the rather alarming discovery that she’s pregnant. Not exactly the sort of morning anyone wants. From the off, the film wraps itself in uncertainty. Who’s telling the truth? What actually happened to the world? And why does everybody seem to be speaking in half-answers like they’re on a conspiracy podcast?

Director Alan Friel does a great job building atmosphere. The bleak coastal scenery feels cold, empty, and quietly threatening, while the stripped-back soundtrack and muted visuals give everything a heavy sense of dread. There’s clearly a love for classic dystopian cinema here, but Woken feels far more personal and intimate than your typical save-the-world sci-fi epic. It’s less about massive action set pieces and more about psychological unease slowly tightening the screws. Reminds me a fair bit of Children of Men.

The film’s biggest strength is easily its tension. Rather than rushing headlong into answers, it drip-feeds information bit by bit, keeping you hooked through suspicion alone. Kellyman carries the film brilliantly, balancing vulnerability and determination as Anna slowly pieces together the truth about herself and the world around her.

Now, fair warning, this is very much a slow-burn film. If you like your sci-fi loud, fast, and packed with explosions every ten minutes, you may find parts of the middle section dragging a touch. The film leans heavily into mood and atmosphere over pace, and some of the twists might feel a little familiar to seasoned dystopian fans.

Still, it succeeds because it knows exactly what it wants to be. It’s thoughtful, unsettling, and quietly emotional, exploring ideas about memory, control, survival, and hope without treating the audience like they need everything spelled out for them. It may not reinvent sci-fi, but it’s got enough tension, mystery, and strong performances to make it stand out in the crowded world of indie dystopian thrillers.