Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn is having a big moment between his breakout Netflix role, his recent starring role in A Quiet Place: Day One and his upcoming appearance as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the MCU's Fantastic Four movie. It's no wonder that Hoard, an indie film in which he has a supporting role, gets a much bigger platform than it otherwise would, given his popularity. As for the film itself, it's a conventional story told from an unconventional perspective, resulting in an incredibly uneven entry into the genre.

Hoard follows a young woman through two time periods – her youth, when her mother was a hoarder, and her teenage years in foster care, where she is forced to bury long-repressed traumas. Carmoon's coming-of-age story clearly tries to use this very specific experience to channel more universal emotions. While it comes very close at several points, it's more often one or the other – it's a scene that's impressive because it's so specific or one that resonates with how relatable it is.

The first half of the film is incredibly conventional, following the same beats as Aftersun, Scrapper and any number of other recent films that tell stories of troubled youth. As the character ages into adolescence, the other half is less conventional and arguably more engaging and ambitious. With the runtime clocking in at over two hours, it can get boring – especially given how similar it is to other films.

In a thematic sense, it's harder to say exactly what Hoard wants to say about its characters and their experiences. It is clear that the intention is not to villainize or support the characters and their actions, but many things will rub the audience the wrong way. The messages about trauma are also incredibly ambiguous, which is frustrating because of how common this theme is in the genre.