SITE - THE PAST IS PRESENT

SITE – The Past Is the Present, directed by Jason Eric Perlman, drops you into the life of Neil Bardo (Jake McLaughlin), a small-town real estate inspector just trying to keep his family together after accidentally injuring his son, Wiley.

Strapped for cash and desperate to save his marriage to Elena (Arielle Kebbel), Neil begs his shady boss, Garrison (Theo Rossi), for extra shifts. But when he’s sent to check out an abandoned government test site in North Carolina, things get weird fast.

A freaky particle collider glowing an eerie blue triggers a time distortion, and Neil’s hit with traumatic visions of Unit 731, a brutal WWII prison camp in China. This ain’t just a job gone wrong—it’s a psychological rollercoaster tying his past mistakes to a dark history he can’t escape.

The film’s strength is its slow-burn mix of sci-fi horror and raw family drama. Neil’s visions aren’t just creepy—they mirror his personal guilt over his son’s accident and his crumbling relationship with Elena.

Enter Naomi (Miki Ishikawa), a journalist and Neil’s ex, who helps him hunt for the site’s last surviving scientist to crack the mystery. The abandoned facility, with its creepy labs and half-burnt relics, sets a chilling vibe, like stepping into a sci-fi ghost story.

Perlman’s direction leans into moody visuals and a haunting score, though some reviews note the pacing can feel sluggish, taking its time to build tension. Still, the cast—McLaughlin’s quiet intensity, Kebbel’s emotional depth, Rossi’s mercenary edge, and Ishikawa’s sharp wit—keeps you hooked as Neil’s reality frays.