The Buildout

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The Buildout

2024

1h 10m

Drama

Horror

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82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In THE BUILDOUT, a friendship is tested as two women experience something strange in the desert.

Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

For his feature film debut, Younus has constructed a captivating ideation that is beguilingly resplendent but ultimately insufficient. Its fragmentary, oblique structure leaves too much territory sadly unexplored.

Mar 16, 2025

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Kyle Logan

ScreenAnarchy

The Buildout isn’t a found footage horror movie about a spooky mystery in the desert, it’s a meditative movie about friendship, grief, self-narratives, and the colliding of all three.

Mar 14, 2025

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Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

“With a brisk running time of approximately 64 minutes, ‘The Buildout’ showcases a storyteller in harmony with a specific cinematic vision about life, death, trauma and healing through friendship.”

Feb 26, 2025

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Ally Ham

The Review Geek

Although there are some beautiful shots and the vision is certainly there, the direction lacks the creativity needed to elevate this feature debut to higher emotional peaks.

Rated: 5/10

Feb 25, 2025

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Isabella Soares

Collider

Although this indie thriller has an intriguing premise — focusing on the hefty journey that Dylan embarks on accompanied by her worried, long-term friend Cameron — it doesn't dig deep into the intricacies of the cult the protagonist is so eager to join.

Rated: 6/10

Feb 25, 2025

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Norman Gidney

HorrorBuzz

A rewarding trek through the wilderness of familial conflict with just enough of a plot to keep us around for the fine character study.

Rated: 7/10

Feb 24, 2025

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Aldis H

The fact that it has a great premise and is good until the abysmal ending makes this a lower rated movie for me than if a movie was merely okay all the way through and had a halfway decent ending. That they muddled the ending into ... whatever it is, at end of such promise ... I can't give it more than 1.5. It leaves you completely in the dark.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/25

Full Review

SkyRo P

The Build Out, a film set to premiere in 2025 but actually produced in 2024, lacks any notable star power. The cast consists mainly of actresses that are relatively unknown, and unfortunately, their performances don’t leave a lasting impression or spark curiosity about their talent. While I can appreciate the film's attempt at artistic direction—some scenes are visually stunning—the overall chemistry between the lead characters falls flat. The lack of engaging creativity leaves the viewer feeling uninspired and disconnected throughout the film. There’s no compelling motivation driving the narrative, making it difficult to invest in the story from the start. In essence, watching this film was akin to observing paint dry; it simply didn’t offer anything worthwhile. The lengthy delay in its release suggests a lack of dedication to improving the film, leading to an uninspired final product. I wouldn’t recommend it; it’s just plain forgettable.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

Full Review

Justin M

The film had a slow burn leading to it's conclusion. While we as the audience are made aware of something out of place at the start of the film, we focus on the friendship and support between two close friends Dylan (Hannah Alline) and Cameron (Jenna Kanell) as we learn that Dylan is making a life altering decision to join a group of devoted Christians in a location set up in the desert. The film tackles issues of personal growth, friendship, hardship, and the intricacies of faith as it builds to the climax of the film where it would appear not everything was as presented! Very great acting, beautiful cinematography, and very well edited!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/25

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Zeshaan Younus

Director

Jenna Kanell

Cameron

Hannah Alline

Dylan

Natasha Halevi

Cleric Kanner

Danielle Evon Ploeger

Dakota

Zeshaan Younus

Producer

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Synopsis

In THE BUILDOUT, a friendship is tested as two women experience something strange in the desert.

Director: Zeshaan Younus
Producer: Zeshaan Younus, Trevor Dillon, Sailor Larocque
Screenwriter: Zeshaan Younus, Zeshaan Younus
Distributor: Ethos Releasing
Production Co: something metal LLC
Genre: Drama, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2025
Runtime: 1h 10m

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