This little gem of a movie, which is best watched without prior knowledge of the storyline, takes you to the countryside, and opens with Megan Boone (The Blacklist) and Derek Cecil (House of Cards) sitting in the back of a limousine driving up to a family estate. From the outset, it sets the atmosphere with eerie and raspy electric guitars in the background, and both characters clearly appearing tense and unsettled. They are a couple named Sloane and Barrett, and you can tell they have something to hide. The time has come to keep you guessing what the secret is, and that's what is going to pull you in until the very end.
As they arrive at the estate, they are welcomed by an elderly couple, played by Larry Bryggman (Spy Game) and Alison Fraser (In The Blood). It appears that the beautiful but visibly frustrated Sloane is returning home to her broken-spirited father, and something seems to be really off from the outset. Sloane is clearly harnessing a seething anger, but it is not immediately evident what emotional disturbances are hidden behind her embittered eyes.
As the story slowly unravels, writer and director Suzuya Bobo takes good care not to give too much away, in this intense slow burner which also happens to be her directorial debut. As most of the scenes take place inside the estate, the surroundings are cleverly utilized to emphasize and enhance the tense mood that keeps gradually building up throughout the story. Cinematography is kept simple and effective, probably in order to keep the viewer's focus on the personalities in the movie.
In many ways it can be seen as a character study, and as the film score is kept very limited, and many scenes are shot with silence in the background, it often has the feel of a theater play, requiring the actors to perform at the best of their abilities. Megan Boone shows off her capabilities as a mature and talented actress, giving Sloane a significantly different personality than the Elizabeth Keen she plays in The Blacklist. The cast has been chosen well, with Alison Fraser playing a highly peculiar, often dissimulating middle aged lady. Derek Cecil's bewildered facial expressions continuously challenge you to try and figure out what is going on in his mind, and Larry Bryggman plays the role of the father with the seasoned skills of a true veteran thespian. Towards the end, Margaret Anne Florence gets to play a smaller role as Stephanie, the elegant daughter of Sloane's father's new wife.
The family clearly is severely dysfunctional, and all interactions between each and every family member appear to be burdened by some kind of former trauma, or fractured relationship. It requires good directing and a well-considered choice of camera angles to manage to keep the tension building up, and to properly convey the multifaceted emotions of the characters, and Suzuya Bobo has done an excellent job at this. There aren't many cutscenes, and the majority of the acting takes place in real time. Not an easy job to pull off.
Watch this movie with an open mind, and in a comfortable environment, and you might catch some of the little clues that the plot writers have planted here and there, that may just help you predict what all this continuously increasing tension is leading up to. The genre is drama, although I feel it has a dose of film noir and dark comedy running through it, as some of the scenes have the characters bursting out in absurd behavior, when they succumb to the unbearable tensions caused by their dysfunctional interactions.
I highly recommend this movie to people who are into character study type of storylines, and who have the patience to lean back, watch closely, and try picking up on the many intriguing and puzzling little details this artful flick has to offer. I would say: a great start for Suzuya Bobo as a director. I'm ready for the next one.
