Where the Hell is Anna? (2026)

“Love makes you do crazy things.”

When you find that special someone in your life, especially a friend, you will do anything for them. Even after years of separation or distance, you may find yourself wondering where they ended up and how they are doing. If you're lucky, you actually reconnect and pick up where you left off. That's exactly the place where Derick (Taylor Dupuis) finds herself, and also the last place she would ever imagine being.

In Where the Hell is Anna?, Derick lets the love for her estranged best friend Anna (Allison Shrum) get caught up in all kinds of unpredictable places. Namely, following Anna to the middle of nowhere after discovering she has joined a "wellness retreat" called Arcana. The plan is to become a member, stay calm, avoid drinking or eating any substances, find proof, don't panic, and come up with an escape plan. The rules are straight-forward enough in black and white, but pulling her and Anna out to safety is more complicated than it seems. Anna is fated to a ceremony of the highest honor that will prepare her for an idyllic higher-dimension ascendance called Summerland. But as Derick becomes more ingratiated with the women and lifestyle around her, all of their demons come back to haunt them.

Both dreamy and petrifying, this horror is a refreshing blend of psychological suspense and light comedy. As her first feature film, Dupuis is a filmmaker to watch out for having directing, written, co-producing and starring in Where The Hell is Anna? She has an uncanny vision of letting the film act with self-awareness of the journey Derick is taking to enter a cinematic familiar territory and hit beats of similar flicks like Midsommar – the drug-induced flashbacks, the mistrust of other characters, and well-placed jump scares. She also never lets the awareness of the genre itself venture overboard to lose sight of how such an isolating environment takes advantage of the characters looking to heal from wounds brought on by the outside world. 

Maybe even more refreshing than the tone between consistent high-stakes and intermittment levity is the script never losing sight of the ensemble, particularly Derick and Anna who have plenty of moments to build the foundation of how their bond became fractured. Even outside of Dupuis as the sharp-witted Derick, and Allison Shrum as her good-natured bestie, is Arcana  family - Meg Barlowe, Jess Kean. Kenzie Wynne, Madison Hunwick, Lauren Whistle and Matthew Crosby, to name a few. A thread of sisterhood weaves throughout the film that intends and succeeds of ensuring the story doesn't sensationalize why people fall for a joining a cult, and focuses more on the reasons why people are drawn together when they are missing something important in their own lives – whether that is to alleviate grief or heartbreak, or find a sense of belonging and purpose. The daily meditations, newly assigned names, and cottage-core aesthetics are only a thin veil to the alluring world of Arcana and the sinister work taking place behind the scenes. And the ensemble does a stellar job providing the warmth and vulnerability to the surreal and eery.

The film also draws on the remarkable collaboration of Dupuis' production team. Once Derick crosses the threshold into the serene, isolated forest bathing under the sun and the trickling streams, it's not long before the beautiful also becomes terrifying. The deeper Derick ventures into Arcana, more of the natural elements are spotlighted from daylight to night, from earth, to water, and eventually fire that complements the shifts in tone with the plot. The cinematography by Tyler Oaks, with editing by Kate Jones, creates a pensive and propulsive isolation by fully taking advantage of the outdoors (all filmed on-site rural Tennessee) and Arcana's nearby cabins. Adding to the suspense is a great soundtrack by John Taylor, whose fully original score adds a haunting resonance.

Dupuis takes full advantage of every scene and doesn't let it go to waste both on-screen and behind the camera. Ultimately, Where the Hell is Anna? is a prime example of what movie-goers can find with independent cinema. In this case, a perfect blend of heart and horror as well as intense hard-work and dedication. With this film as the jumping point for her debut feature, one can only imagine and can't wait to see what she might take on next.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Note: Where the Hell is Anna? is currently premiering at the Nashville Film Festival. This review is provided with the availability of a screener. All opinions are my own.