The Aviary (2022) -

The film introduces us to Jillian and Blair, played with raw vulnerability by Malin Åkerman and Lorenza Izzo, immediately after they have fled "Skylight"—a utopian cult masked as a wellness retreat. The title itself, The Aviary , directly references a large enclosure designed to keep birds captive while giving them the illusion of open air. This irony quickly becomes the central driving force of the narrative.

Messina’s performance highlights the exact mechanics of gaslighting. Seth did not control his followers with physical locks and keys, but with cognitive reprogramming. He forced them to doubt their own senses, their own memories, and ultimately each other. As Jillian and Blair trek further into the wilderness, they begin to exhibit the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress and cognitive dissonance. They cannot agree on basic facts—how many days they have been walking, which direction they are heading, or whether Seth is actively tracking them. The terrifying thesis of The Aviary is that the cult leader doesn't need to follow them physically because he has already taken up permanent residence in their minds. The Breakdown of Solidarity The Aviary (2022)

The greatest trick of psychological manipulation is convincing the victim that their cage does not exist. In their 2022 psychological thriller The Aviary , writers and directors Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite explore this terrifying boundary between physical escape and mental imprisonment. Following two women who flee a predatory cult in the harsh New Mexican desert, the film operates less as a traditional survival thriller and more as a claustrophobic character study. By utilizing a minimalist setting and focusing heavily on the fraying psyches of its protagonists, The Aviary serves as a profound allegory for the lingering, insidious nature of trauma and coercive control. The Illusion of Flight The film introduces us to Jillian and Blair,