The Saudi Netflix film, From The Ashes: The Pit, is a sequel to the disaster drama titled For The Ashes. The film primarily focuses on the characters from the first installment, and naturally, unresolved trauma is central to the sequel. After surviving a deadly fire, the characters return to a new school, but misfortune seems to follow them (though not in a Final Destination kind of way).
The bullies from the first film have changed significantly; they now prefer to stay out of trouble and don't cause conflict. However, they experience a constant emptiness: the past haunts them, they miss their friends, and they lack a purpose in life. In From The Ashes: The Pit, they attempt to rebuild their lives again, and this time through another disaster!
Director: Khalid Fahad
Writers: Khalid Fahad, Abdulhakeem Hakeem
Stars: Alshaima'a Tayeb, Khairia Abu Laban, Adwa Fahad
As a subgenre, disaster films remain extremely relevant. The fact that most of these films are based on real-life incidents and experiences makes them even more compelling. Perhaps it is precisely this factor that makes this genre a difficult one to execute. If not done well, the films can come across as amateurish, failing to evoke the right emotions. Paul Greengrass's The Lost Bus is a recent example of an impressive disaster film inspired by the 2018 Camp Fire. Instead of an elaborate storyline, the focus was on recreating the panic and the devastating fire. In From The Ashes: The Pit, however, the drama takes precedence, as the film explores themes of redemption and forgiveness.
Mona, Heba, and Mashael have enrolled in a new school, and as already mentioned, they are no longer friends. Mona desperately tries to win the friendship of the most popular girl in school, Maria. Although Maria treats her terribly, Mona doesn't seem to care; all she wants is to fit in. Heba prefers to be alone; she misses her friends and secretly hopes that they can all move past the past. Mashael's life is not easy at the new school. Maria bullies her, makes racist remarks, and gets away with it. But one day, Mashael decides to stand up for herself and ends up in a fight with Maria. Their mothers are informed of their bad behavior and asked to meet with the principal at the school.
Meanwhile, Mashael tries to strike up a conversation with Mona. Mashael recently learned that Mona's mother was planning to marry her off, so she decides to inform Mona. At first, Mona is not happy to see Mashael; she blames her for trying to ruin her friendship with Maria. Mashael couldn't believe that Mona didn't realize Maria was mistreating her. Suddenly, Maria approaches them, and once again, Mashael and Maria get into a heated argument. Suddenly, the ground opens up, and all three fall into a pit. From the beginning of the film, radio announcements had been reporting moderate to heavy rainfall that would likely cause flooding in low-lying areas. The title, the announcements, and the torrential rain were clear indications of what was to come.
A disaster film is designed to make you feel trapped, claustrophobic, and helpless, but in From The Ashes: The Pit, this atmosphere is not well achieved. The girls end up in a pit, and although the situation is concerning, I personally didn't feel very invested. The depth of the pit is never revealed, something that would have immediately created a sense of panic. The visual effects are poor, so the brief fall we witness is not convincing. The water level was constantly rising, but instead of focusing on the characters, the scenes were repeatedly cut, and when we see the girls in the pit again, they have somehow always managed to stay afloat. What could have been intense and high-stakes scenes are abruptly cut short. Perhaps this is due to technical limitations, but the audience shouldn't have to worry about those details, and this is a major drawback for the film. The pit as a metaphor to represent how the characters felt trapped or helpless in certain aspects of their lives works to a certain extent, but it doesn't quite come together. The internal conflicts could have been explored alongside the theme of survival, but in this case, the survival element feels almost like an afterthought. Unless the characters are in real and palpable danger, the audience is unlikely to become invested. There's a reason a film like 127 Hours (production value aside) had such a memorable impact on viewers; you simply accompany the character through their struggle, and that makes you connect with them. From The Ashes: The Pit tries to encompass everything, from drama to comedy and disaster, and ultimately fails to excel in any one area.
At best, From The Ashes: The Pit is a teen drama with some disaster elements. A group of students with different personalities are brought together by circumstances and forced to confront their past. In theory, this could have been interesting, but unfortunately, the issues the film tackles are quite superficial. The subplot involving Mona's mother, who plans to marry her off while she wants to continue her studies, was promising, but the film fails to develop it in any depth. While the first installment included some fleeting social commentary, this time the film completely refrains from doing so. The story is extremely hollow; the friendship between the girls is perhaps the only thing that saves it.
Considering the wide variety of options viewers have on streaming platforms, it's hard to understand why anyone would want to invest over ninety minutes watching a film that doesn't really have much to offer. According to its Netflix tag, the film is supposed to be "emotional," but let's be clear: exaggerated emotions, whether expressed verbally or visually, are not enough to move an audience. There's not much to say about the performances. A low budget is never really the problem; with an effective plot and proper execution, a memorable film can be achieved (we've seen countless examples!). In short, From The Ashes: The Pit is one of those films you forget shortly after watching it. It is, at best, a mediocre drama that fails to evoke any emotion, good or bad.
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