The word Gaia means the goddess of Earth in the Greek mythos, also known as Terra in the Roman mythos.  The new South African horror film, GAIA (2021), obviously references the planet we live on, but its title is very much an enigma.  The movie is most certainly a film that focuses on nature, but it is much more than that.

Park rangers, Gabi (Monique Rockman) and Winston (Anthony Oseyemi), are tasked to change the digital memory cards of the various cameras that are set up within the Tsitsikamma forest.  When Gabi’s drone is incapacitated, she goes off to get it.  When unfortunate circumstances separates her from Winston, she is found by a father and son survivor duo who take her back to their cabin.  When she arrives there, she discovers the forest has a secret that she would never have fathomed of. 

Jaco Bouwer directs and Tertius Kapp wrote GAIA.  Partly in English and partly in Afrikaans, the movie digs deep into the health of the earth, what may exist out deep in remote forests, and how the loss of a loved one can change one’s life completely.  Besides starring Monique Rockman and Anthony Oseyemi, Carel Nel and Alex Van Dyk play the father and son survivalists.  Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.