Hallow Road

The hints are there - the movie title, the date it takes place. This could be a well acted campfire story or would also make a good small theater show - but it also makes an enjoyable movie.

Like a good campfire story - you are left wondering, and a little frightened by it.

It's not going to make you scream or jump out of your seat or even cry - it will just keep you tense - just like the parents.

Sure there's a few plot holes but they aren't gaping and dont spoil the fundamental plot. I think there is also room for a sequel with the parents desperate to answer the same questions we still have and a basic premise created within this story.

I feel a bit gaslit by this one as critics and audience reviews are pretty good but I just didn't connect with it.

Hallow Road takes place in near real time mostly inside of a car as two parents race to the scene of an accident (on "Hallow Road") their daughter has been involved in. I say "near" real time because the drive is only 40 minutes and yet surely takes up longer in the movie as it's ~80%+ of the runtime.

The problem for me is that this felt like a cheap episode of a TV drama that would be shown on ITV. The parents were annoying, particularly the father and the car setting began to get tedious, especially every time the sat-nav told the audience how far we had to go. For some this will rachet up tension and desperation to get there quicker, but for me the journey felt like a slow crawl.

For me the ending left much to be desired. An earlier throwaway line about how the parents "will never find resolution" felt like expectations management from the director - when I heard this I prepared for the worst and was still disappointed. Another cop out ending in a critically acclaimed indie movie? Surely not?!

The second twist is revealed when the lights come up, but this one itself was largely guessable if you were paying attention - but even if you weren't, spelling it out in this fashion felt like an odd bolt-on to the movie. It would have benefitted from being included in the film and not the credits.

Overall Hallow Road is a largely tepid, slightly creepy story of parents rushing to the aid of the child but I now grow weary of so many indie films choosing to use amibiguity as a means to add weight to their story. Sometimes I would just like a tied up ending.

This film had so much potential yet failed to delivery the major blow to be classed as a wonderful thriller. Yes, it's pretty clear that this is a storyline example of trauma/parenthood, but I think it could have been projected in better light at the end. The film itself wasn't all bad, the acting was good and it was actually quite believable up until quite late on. Half way through this film I had it down for a possible 7/8 but sadly the meaningless/emotion-only ending left it somewhat short of that mark.

I like films like this, ones that are single scene phone conversations. Whilst not up to the classic (in my opinion) 'Locke', Hallow road uses the conceit well enough to grip your attention for most of its short runtime. Going into it just having read the short IMDB synopsis also helped me to appreciate the unfolding plot, so that's what I suggest you do. Some repetitive dialogue and a not entirely satisfying ending drag this down to a 6/10. But it is overall, an atmospheric and tense 80 minutes.

In the categories "disturbingly realistic" and "true nightmares you really don't want to go through yourself", Hallow Road is a film that scores very high. Director Babak Anvari ("I Came By") delivers a very intense and compelling thriller here, even though the story largely takes place in one enclosed location (a car) and has only two main characters (and also a few voices over the phone).

The concept is simple, but that makes it even more efficient. In the middle of the night, parents Maddie and Franck receive a panicky phone call from their teenage daughter Alice. She caused an accident with her father's car. The car is stuck and damaged, but - much worse - there is another girl lying motionless on the road. The parents jump in the car and stay in touch with Alice, but during the long journey the problems pile up. Is the girl who was hit by a car still alive? Where is the ambulance? Why did Alice drive to such a remote place? Was she sober? Will this incident destroy the rest of her life?

There are 2 main reasons why "Hallow Road" is the most haunting and unforgettable thriller you will see this year (and perhaps also in the coming years). First and foremost because it is - simply - a realistic scenario. The chance this horror will happen to yourself, or someone close to you, is much greater than, say, moving into a haunted house or having to fight werewolves and zombies. You read about hit-and-run accidents almost daily, and behind each of these incidents is a tragic story for both sides. Secondly, because Matthew Rhys and - especially - Rosamund Pike give away such incredibly strong performances. Director Anvari felt that the story couldn't just end like a random news fact, and so there are some weird twists in the script towards the end. Still very absorbing, though. The ending is completely open to interpretation, and that too is the best they could have done. Powerful film, recommended!