Shut In

Good little low budget thriller that took a while to get going, but when it did, it was tense and reminded me of Panic Room a little.

Acting and direction are good and the symbolism is excellent.

I don't get the rampant love or hate for the movie. Why can't people just judge it for what it is?

My wife and I found the movie a bit tedious and boring. From the Rotten Tomatoes scores I expected something a few notches higher. It was a well-made film with good acting but at the end of the day the pacing was a bit tedious, it lacked suspense in obvious places where suspense could have been heightened (not knowing what was taking place with the children), and mostly it was just a bit flat. The over-use of themes like the main character staring at the Bible and staring at the cross felt out of place and forced, like I was watching a Christian film that somehow had to let you know it was a Christian film. It was also the type of movie where you find yourself saying... "Why didn't she do this? Why didn't she do that?" This type of frustration builds for the viewer as you begin to disconnect more and more from being sucked in my the movie, finding yourself on the outside looking in at a film and wondering why the director couldn't see it from an audience's viewpoint. Near the end, we laughed several times. Here's an example of why. The lead character couldn't get out of the pantry early on before it was boarded. Yes, at the end she busted through and upstairs door like she was John Wayne coming to kick some serious tail. It was a head-smacker of a moment.

It wasn't bad at all, it was pretty much what I expected. It was boring in the beginning until the half of the movie but then it became more intense, the performances were great though, I think I needed some more tension to like it more but it was okay, I don't think I would watch it a second time though.

This film has a great main character but the situations she's put in are what truly make this film what it is. You'll be on the edge of your seat for almost the entire film because the stakes are so high while still feeling realistic. Although the religious aspects of this film worked for the most part it did border on preachy on occasion.

I was actually very impressed with DJ Caruso's cinematography and how he was able to make great use of the very small location.

About 50-60% of this film takes place in a pantry, with the rest happening in the surrounding single house, yet it never feels like Caruso uses the same camera angle twice. The perspective is constantly shifting, and it makes this location feel bigger and this story feel more eventful than they are on paper.

So, I never felt bored. The script gives Jessica just enough to do and just enough to say so that we can really understand her as a character and get to know her goals and her thought process.

But the script also tries to give her a redemption arc, and these are unfortunately the parts that came across as really cheesy to me. Whenever the film focused on this, the dialogue was very forced.

The ending also leaves something to be desired. It goes from gritty thriller to corny fairytale ending and it was kind of laughable.

Still, I'm impressed that The Daily Wire made something apolitical and competently helmed. Props to them!