This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Justin Cook who sent over a screener. What I knew coming in was that this was a horror film that was from 2024. Since I like to include independent films when I can, I decided to check this out. Other than that, I did come into it blind with just the information I've given here.
Synopsis: when a troubled assistant bank manager's baby daughter goes missing, he must follow the instructions of a mysterious voice on the other end of a baby monitor to save her before she disappears forever.
We start this with a guy running away from a group of hooded individuals at night. He is Andy (Ryan Barton-Grimley). What is interesting here is that they're also wearing masks which look like creepy babies. One of them catches Andy.
This turns out to be a nightmare. He wakes up at work. The building's janitor, Thomas (Richard Gayler), checks in on him and we learn that Andy was recently promoted to the title in the synopsis. His boss is George Jansen (Patrick Pankhurst), who is going away on vacation. This puts pressure on Andy since he must oversee responsibilities while he is gone. It doesn't help that he has a newborn at home that they're sleep training. A box comes for him and it is a new baby monitor that is an owl.
He goes home to his wife, Allie (Simone Barton-Grimley). She gets ready to go out for a girl's night. This will leave Andy at home, since he doesn't believe they can afford a babysitter. Things seem to be going well. Andy keeps falling asleep and being woken up by the monitor. One of the times that he goes into the baby's room, he opens the window. There is another time he goes in there to find that his daughter is gone. That's when a strange voice, done by Ari Schneider, talks to him over the monitor. He needs Andy to steal money from ATMs with this special, unmarked card that he has. To complicate things, there is another person calling from a fraud detection company. He usually speaks with George, but with him gone, this falls on Andy. It is a race against the clock to get the infant back, but things aren't as they seem either.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is with the fact that this is a film that I could connect with. My wife and I, at the time of writing this, have a two-year-old and another child on the way. I remember those sleepless nights until we figured out sleep training. I can appreciate that this is using how parents become sleep deprived and it is a struggle. This does use a troupe that I'm not the biggest fan of since it cheapens things for me. What I will say is that this made me anxious with the knowledge that a baby could be in peril.
Now since this is a newer film, I'm not going to spoil it. The main conflict here is that Andy must steal 250 thousand dollars in a set timeframe or he will never see his daughter again. It seems like he's able to rob ATMs with this unmarked card that he has. I didn't realize what I was seeing at first, but I believe that he uses this in the beginning. I just thought it was a keycard for work. This card allows him to confuse the ATM system and take money. He must hit a bunch of machines to collect enough, especially since it doesn't allow him to take out the max amounts. There are little things that happen along the way, like dropping money and someone taking it. There's also a police officer, played by David Rickabaugh, who finds Andy suspicious. I'd do whatever it takes to get my daughter back so I connect there.
Let me then shift to an issue that I have. This uses dream sequences as a major aspect. I am slightly forgiving just remembering when I wasn't sleeping due to our daughter not. I get that it will drive you insane and make you feel like you're losing your mind. That's something that I can work with. This is also playing with the idea that him feeling guilty is playing into what is happening. Also, he might not be fully ready to be a father. It takes this ordeal for him to figure it out. We even get that Allie might leave him due to their daughter. How this concept is used was solid, but through dreams is something that is overused to me.
I then want to shift over to talk about the acting performances. I'll preface by saying that this is a low budget effort so no one is great. Ryan Barton-Grimley did write, direct and stars in this. It makes me think that he must have raised a small child since he's spot on there. There were a couple moments here and there where I don't know if he nailed what he needed. He fits this role though so credit there. Schneider has a good voice to be the one that we hear over the monitor. There are eerie things that happen there. Simone Barton-Grimley doesn't have much time on screen. She's more of that character though that is looming. Ryan needs to have the baby home before she gets back so it helps with the tension. Other than that, Rickabaugh and Gayler work as these two who we don't know if we can fully trust. Pankhurst works in his limited role as well.
All that is left then is filmmaking. The best part here is the sound design. Hearing the baby over the monitor is regularly so there is that nagging feeling with it. That helps with the idea that Ryan might not be cut out to be a father. I also like what they do with these voices that are haunting him over the machines as well. I'd say that the cinematography and framing were solid. They do well with blurring the lines of reality and the nightmares, so despite my feelings on using that, they capture it well. There are also limited effects, but the blood we see and the masks were creepy.
In conclusion, this is one that I think is exploring an interesting idea. I'd say that Ryan Barton-Grimley does well as our lead with Schneider there to push him to where he ends up. This is also well made with the sound design along with the cinematography and framing to capture the nightmare logic. Not one that I think everyone will enjoy or connect with like I did. I still thought that this was a solid enough film. Borders on horror in general but goes enough into that realm.
My Rating: 6 out of 10.
