The Mill (2023 film)

Joe, an employee of the Mallard Corporation, wakes up in a strange courtyard with no recollection of his arrival. As Joe seeks help, he hears the voice of another inmate who explains some — but not all — of the circumstances of the prisoners ("employees"). Any attempts to escape or ask for help during food deliveries results in further isolation. Joe and the other employees' primary task is pushing a millstone in order to reach the targeted quota. He faces the daily pressure of meeting the deadline, and failure carries severe consequences.

Over time, Joe's physical and mental strength are continuously tested. Despite exhaustion and distressing hallucinations, he remains determined to reunite with his pregnant wife, Kate. Joe confronts the malevolent AI orchestrating his ordeal, making a plea for freedom and reuniting with his wife. The AI, now threatened, concedes to his request.

It turns out that Joe has been part of an augmented reality as part of Mallard's training. After he secures his position and reassures contact with Kate, Joe then plots to expose Mallard's wrongdoings.

{{Cast listing|

• Lil Rel Howery as Joe
• Pat Healy as a guard
• Karen Obilom as Kate
• Patrick Fischler as a neighbor

}}

In February 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that the film was "recently-wrapped" and was shot in New Jersey.{{cite web|last=Grobar|first=Matt|title=Lil Rel Howery To Topline Hulu Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Mill’; Scoot McNairy, Pat Healy Among Others Set – First Look|date=February 1, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/lil-rel-howery-to-star-in-the-mill-also-producing-hulu-sci-fi-thriller-1235246580/|accessdate=October 4, 2023|archive-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009182946/https://deadline.com/2023/02/lil-rel-howery-to-star-in-the-mill-also-producing-hulu-sci-fi-thriller-1235246580/|url-status=live}}

O'Grady and Howery had previously worked together in the comedy film I Love My Dad (2022), in which the former produced and the latter played a supporting role. In an interview with MovieWeb, O'Grady said that he wanted to collaborate with Howery again but in a drama film rather than a comedy. Upon reading the screenplay of The Mill, O'Grady had Howery in mind as his first choice for the lead. O'Grady said in an interview with Blavity that he "read (the screenplay) in a night", after producer Josh Feldman shared it with him.{{cite web|last=Yates|first=Shanique|title='THE MILL' DIRECTOR RECALLS LIL REL HOWERY'S DECISION TO REMAIN BLINDFOLDED UNTIL PRODUCTION BEGAN FOR THE SCI-FI THRILLER|date=October 9, 2023|website=Blavity|url=https://blavity.com/entertainment/the-mill-lil-rel-howery-hulu|accessdate=October 12, 2023|archive-date=October 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014220936/https://blavity.com/entertainment/the-mill-lil-rel-howery-hulu|url-status=live}} O'Grady also said in an interview with Comic Book Resources that the screenplay he read was Jeffrey David Thomas’s first draft.{{cite web|last=Doll|first=Katie|title=The Mill Director Sean King O'Grady Teases a 'Vampiric' Corporation|date=October 9, 2023|website=Comic Book Resources|url=https://www.cbr.com/the-mill-sean-king-ogrady-interview/|accessdate=May 6, 2024}}

According to O'Grady, Howery chose not to know where the filming location was set and was literally blindfolded as he entered the set.{{cite web|last=Foertsch|first=Rachel|title= The Mill Director On Collaborating With Lil Rel Howery For New Horror Film|date=October 13, 2023|website=Screen Rant|url=https://screenrant.com/the-mill-movie-sean-king-ogrady-interview/|accessdate=May 6, 2024}}

The film was released on Hulu on October 9, 2023.{{cite web|last=Mahler|first=Matthew|title=Exclusive: The Mill Director Wants to Change Your Life and Break the System|date=October 6, 2023|website=MovieWeb|url=https://movieweb.com/the-mill-sean-king-ogrady-interview/|accessdate=October 8, 2023|archive-date=October 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018054842/https://movieweb.com/the-mill-sean-king-ogrady-interview/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|last=Collis|first=Clark|title=Get Out star Lil Rel Howery faces a different kind of horror in The Mill trailer|date=September 27, 2023|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|url=https://ew.com/movies/lil-rel-howery-the-mill-trailer-hulu/|accessdate=October 4, 2023|archive-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930134217/https://ew.com/movies/lil-rel-howery-the-mill-trailer-hulu/|url-status=live}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|42|6|12|consensus=|access-date=December 1, 2023|ref=y}}

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film a score of two out of four.{{cite web|last=Allen|first=Nick|title=The Mill|date=October 9, 2023|website=RogerEbert.com|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mill-movie-review-2023|accessdate=October 9, 2023|archive-date=October 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010022005/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mill-movie-review-2023|url-status=live}} Tyler Nichols of JoBlo.com gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Unless they're given a theatrical release, Hulu Horror films often miss the mark, so I went into this with very low expectations. Thankfully this provided a smart and poignant thriller that really takes aim at a lot of issues going on in society today".{{cite web|last=Nichols|first=Tyler|title=The Mill Review|date=October 8, 2023|website=JoBlo.com|url=https://www.joblo.com/the-mill-review/|accessdate=October 8, 2023|archive-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009182945/https://www.joblo.com/the-mill-review/|url-status=live}} Brandon Yu of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, writing, "The film lacks any well-executed surprises to help it push past one-dimensional satire, and Howery is not strong enough of a dramatic actor to keep a single-setting, single-character film like this consistently engaging".{{cite web|last=Yu|first=Brandon|title=The Mill Review: A Cog in the Machine|date=October 9, 2023|website=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/09/movies/the-mill-review.html|accessdate=October 9, 2023|archive-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009123106/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/09/movies/the-mill-review.html|url-status=live}}

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Category:2023 science fiction films

Category:2023 thriller films

Category:2020s American films

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:2020s science fiction thriller films

Category:20th Digital Studio films

Category:American science fiction thriller films

Category:Films shot in New Jersey

Category:Hulu original films

Category:English-language science fiction thriller films