The Yearly Harvest (2020)

Journalist Jin goes to the town of Seleh because she’s heard many Christmas traditions started there.  She’s convinced something is up because no one in town has holiday lights or says happy holidays. Also Kyle, another journalist, died in town when he was researching the same story. 

When Amy visits the library to do research, she finds a book which seems to have something under the inside of the back cover. She peels back the paper and finds a hand drawn map. She believes Kyle made this map.  Although there is no proof of this, she stuffs it into her pocket as her first clue to solving the mystery.

After being warned not to tell people why she’s in town, Jin gets in an altercation with a man outside the diner and is saved by Amy, a private investigator in town for a job.  Amy gives Jin a ride and ends up going door to door with her as she asks people if she can interview them. All doors are slammed in their faces until they find one woman who celebrates Christmas and agrees the town is weird.  She tells Jin about Beth, who shares the rest of the towns beliefs but doesn't mind talking about them.

By this time Jin has overshared her past and more personal information than any rational person you just met would be comfortable with, but it doesn’t phase Amy. When they get to where Jin is staying, she invites Amy in and introduces her to her little sister Lindsay. Jin doesn’t like Lindsay because she’s a pain. Amy tells her she needs to be more careful with how she speak to and about her sister.  

Although Amy tells her to wait for her, the next day Jin visits Beth who, unlike the others in town, seems friendly and willing to share about the town. She explains mythology, pagans, tradition and the Bible, which should be a warning but Jin is focused on her story. 

When Jin leaves, she walks home through the woods. Another sign that Jin isn’t the brightest bulb since she’s been threatened, warned, and had almost all hostile experiences.  When she’s hit on the head, it’s not surprising. Oh poor naive little Jin.  Do you really think if the town folk are hostile and don’t want you digging into their history that the one person willing to talk is safe? The worst part is this movie is two hours long and at this point, we’re only a little over the hour mark.

The people in this town are kind of dense.  They want to kill anyone who tries to investigate the town, thus calling more attention to them due to disappearances. Jin is there because the prior journalist disappeared.  And if they want to keep this knowledge private, why is Beth willing to speak about it?  Sure I’ll tell you our secrets, but I just need to kill you afterwards. How about telling Jin she’s wrong? 

At two hours, this movie could do with some editing. There are long scenes of dialogue that could be cut without any impact. Do we really need to know Jin’s family history, or about her Mom’s illness, or why she dislikes her little sister?  Would it make any difference if we chopped out the scenes of her Mom, little sister or the family she’s staying with? And we could do away with her overly personal scenes with Amy as well. 

At the end, I still had questions. Why did Amy think the map was from Kyle and why would he hide it inside the back of a book where someone may never find it?  Was there any significance to what was on the map?  Why does Jin tell Amy her backstory?  There’s no reason for it and it’s odd to do with someone you just met.  Is it a regional accent when Jin says woof instead of wolf?   When Amy brings Jin home to help her recover, why does she sleep in the same bed? Was there any relevant info in the scene where Amy meets the detective? And was that supposed to be the police station? Because it appeared to be someone’s home office.

Cringeworthy dialogue

Jin - You can’t threaten me.

Bill - Says who.

We write for a national magazine and we’re writing an article on the Christmas traditions. We actually heard a lot of them started in Selah.

Lindsey - You’re tall!

Jin - Linsey, that’s not the first thing you say to someone. That’s rude.

Don’t trust a town that has names and dates on it’s trees

 Looking through papers at the library and finding a photo of
you in the library in the same seat wearing the same
clothes with a black figure behind you

Kyle’s map - is there anything important to see?
Would not a map of the city be the same?

Why are they sleeping in the same bed? 

The mystery scratches