Distress Signals
Directed by Terence Krey, Christine NylandWhen a fall down a steep rock face separates her from her friends, Caroline finds herself stranded. Now, alone and with a dislocated shoulder, she must make her way out of the woods--and contend with how she got there.
- Monkey See! Monkey Review!!October 19, 2025TLDR -> Distress Signals – A Signal to Skip. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!!! From the very first scene, Distress Signals gave off one clear message: boredom ahead. Strike one. The film opens with a woman lost in the woods, but instead of tension or urgency, we get a slow, casual stroll through nature. After 15 minutes of screen time, I expected some sign of panic—she’s alone, possibly stranded overnight—but there’s no fear, no suspense, not even dramatic music to set the mood. Just quiet wandering. Strike two came with the plot’s credibility. Either the story is wildly implausible, or this woman has the most neglectful friends imaginable. No one seems to be looking for her. No search party, no concerned calls, nothing. If she had simply stayed near the trail, someone would’ve likely passed by. It’s not like she’s in the Alaskan wilderness. The weather’s fine, and the area doesn’t seem that remote. Even without an official rescue effort, she could’ve been found fairly quickly. By the 20-minute mark, with no real developments, I skipped ahead to the final 15 minutes. Strike three. Suddenly, there were new characters—but I wasn’t invested enough to rewind and figure out how they entered the story. Despite presumably spending more time lost, the main character still looked pristine: no dirt, no signs of hunger or dehydration. It was hard to buy into the survival aspect when she didn’t appear to be struggling. Does she make it out? Does nature win? The film may technically qualify as an adventure, but it lacked the excitement and realism to make it compelling. For me, Distress Signals is a definite pass.
- Kevin WardJuly 6, 2025Distress Signals finds Caroline disoriented and lost in the woods with a presumably dislocated shoulder. Without any kind of radio signal she’s left to try to make it out on her own. Much of this films plays out like other wilderness/survival film. Several elements reminded me of films like 127 Hours, Castaway, etc. About 2/3rds of the way through there’s a slight wrench thrown in that shifts the tone more into the thriller genre. I think all of that sounds great, but ultimately when the film ends I was a bit underwhelmed. There’s a bit of a mystery initially as to how she wound up injured in the woods, but the ultimate reveal kind of left me at odds with the rest of the film. Hard describe without spoiling. In general, there were many elements of the plot that didn’t quite add up that really tempered my enjoyment. It’s definitely watchable. Christine Nyland, the writer/director/star, is compelling as Caroline even with little to no dialogue for much of the first few acts. So I will be curious to see what other projects she takes on, in any capacity.
Distress Signals Trivia
Distress Signals was released on August 18, 2022.
Distress Signals was directed by Terence Krey, Christine Nyland.
Distress Signals has a runtime of 80m.
Distress Signals was produced by Terence Krey, Christine Nyland.
When a fall down a steep rock face separates her from her friends, Caroline finds herself stranded. Now, alone and with a dislocated shoulder, she must make her way out of the woods--and contend with how she got there.
The key characters in Distress Signals are Caroline Hale (Christine Nyland), John (Jonathon Strauss), Lauren (Stephanie Hains).
Distress Signals is rated Not Rated.
Distress Signals is a Thriller, Drama film.
Distress Signals has an audience rating of 4 out of 10.