Naman Shrestha
The Derek Sulek directorial, ‘Chaos on the Farm,’ is a Lifetime thriller movie that follows a young woman named Jessica whose world turns upside down after the death of her beloved mother. She must visit her estranged Uncle and Aunt’s farm to tie up some loose ends in her mother’s will. On first impression, everything seems too good to be true at the property. However, when strange events occur at the farm, Jessica uncovers some deeply buried dark secrets about her relatives.
Featuring stellar onscreen performances from a group of talented actors, including Brook Sill, Jake Busey, Clare Kramer, Billy Armstrong, and Dorian Gregory, the thriller story sheds light upon some familiar themes such as secrets about the farm of one’s uncle and aunt. Thus, it is natural for some of you to be curious about the authenticity of ‘Chaos on the Farm’ and wonder if it is based on true events.
Derek Sulek and Eric Durham: The Minds Behind the Fiction
No, ‘Chaos on the Farm’ is not based on a true story. In fact, the director Derek Sulek collaborated with Eric Durham as both made the most of their experience in the industry, creative minds, and brilliant writing skills to come up with an enthralling yet realistic screenplay for the Lifetime film. The theme of two-faced family members, especially the estranged ones and the ones one hardly knows, is quite realistic as many of us have personally dealt with such people in real life or heard of them from acquaintances.
So, it is not a surprise that you may be able to relate to Jessica and her struggles on her uncle and aunt’s secluded farm, be it in a metaphorical manner. Another reason ‘Chaos on the Farm’ might seem familiar and connected to reality is that its specific themes and elements have been explored in many movies and TV shows over the years. If we talk about a strange uncle with ulterior motives and dark secrets, you might be reminded of the 2013 thriller, Stoker, directed by Park Chan-wook. However, one of the aptest examples has to be that of the Peter Hengl directorial ‘Family Dinner.’
Starring Pia Hierzegger, Michael Pink, Nina Katlein, and Alexander Sladek, the 2022 mystery thriller film follows an overweight 15-year-old Simi who decides to visit her aunt Claudia’s secluded farmhouse for Easter weekend. Since Claudia is a nutritionist who has written many health books, Simi hopes that she can help her lose some weight. Anticipating a fun and educational weekend, Simi suddenly notices her cousin Filipp acting weirdly hostile toward her while his stepfather Stefan acts the opposite.
With everyone on the farm acting strange and aggressive towards Simi, she tries to get to the bottom of the truth and uncovers some dark secrets about her aunt’s family. As you can see, there are not just a few thematic similarities between ‘Family Dinner’ and ‘Chaos on the Farm,’ but also a few parallels in the storylines. Thus, considering all the factors mentioned above, we can conclude that despite having some realistic themes and subjects in the Lifetime movie, it is just a work of fiction!
Read More: Where Was Lifetime’s Chaos on the Farm Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
