Sorte de Quem?

I was hooked on home-invasion thrillers as far back as Straw Dogs. Since then, I've read Flannery O'Connor's stories relishing the outsider, who usually changes things for her and seen Hard Candy. Because of the home-imprisoning pandemic, I'm ready for a new serving of terror right in my own home. Enter minimalist Windfall from Netflix.

"Nobody" (Jason Segel), a drifter who commandeers wealthy vacation homes while the owners are away, invades the home of "CEO" (Jesse Plemons) and "Wife" (Lily Collins) somewhere in the remote Southwest, where its isolation suits the danger of the invasion. Oops, the couple comes home early.

Unlike most films in this subgenre, Windfall has little violence, whereby the implicit danger is amplified by being ever present underneath it all. Befitting a tyrannical CEO with little humane orientation, he is up for negotiating their release after Nobody takes them hostage and demands ransom. Although Wife is already imprisoned by her husband's wealth and megalomania, she contradicts his outlandish terms and generally reviles him for his ego's endangering them.

Meanwhile, Nobody is trying to understand CEO's obtuseness and almost amused by the couple's lack of connection to each other. In other words, Windfall is about character and what is revealed under stress. No one comes off well, but you can tell the abductor is a better person than the husband. As for the title, the cash Nobody demands and gets could be a "windfall," but I suspect the character revelations qualify even more.

Wife plays a pivotal part in the outcome; you will have to see this Netflix thriller to experience the twist. You may identify with the characters whose fates slowly unfold as a result of their character, but not quickly and with little help from the mese en scene. Fate fits character but not obviously or quickly.

A fun date night unless you're like the ego-centric CEO.

The most intriguing thing about Windfall is that it makes us want to know more about the trio of characters played by Plemons, Collins, and Segel by the time the credits roll. In the beginning, Windfall puts across a largely harmless hostage situation featuring these nameless characters, but as it progresses, we get to know there's more to it than what meets the eye. The film is coated in bits of wry humor, primarily thanks to Plemons' arrogant billionaire feat and his shunning of the world filled with freeloaders and nobodies. It then makes complete sense when you see Segel being credited as "Nobody."

The score by Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans is a crucial piece of this puzzle, intensely punctuating almost every scene. Director Charlie McDowell treats us to a dark, twisted climax that not only makes the most sense, given all we know about the trio, but it also gives Lily Collins her shining moment! I understand that Windfall isn't as conventionally funny or thrilling as most of us would've wanted, but I'm glad the director chose the slow-burn route for this subject.

Jason Segel breaks into the isolated luxury villa of tech billionaire Jesse Plemons and his wife, Lily Collins. They suddenly appear and Segel has to hold them at gunpoint and decide how he his going to get out of the mess he's got himself into.

Interesting chamber piece set entirely at the villa (very nice it is too) and therefore you can easily see it as a neat 3 act play performed on stage. Whilst it starts lightly enough with a degree of humour, the tables turn on Segel as Plemons starts to get increasingly angered at the situation, letting his true colours shine through. As the film progresses it becomes pretty clear what the direction of travel is going to be, although this doesn't alter the fact the film has a neat ending. All 3 leads do well, but Plemons keeps the electricity going with his performance as an increasingly unlikeable rich guy.

It starts off with kind of a wacky, Coen Brothers energy and then turns into a much darker thriller. It's an intriguing premise and I liked the cast, but it feels a bit undercooked.

Things happen that don't have proper buildup or explanation and some of the logic is a bit iffy. It's interesting, however it can really drag with some of the long, awkward staring into space scenes. It's definitely not the best Netflix film, but far from the worst.

As "Windfall" (2022 release; 92 min.) opens, a man is walking around a southern property. It quickly becomes apparent that the man is in fact robbing the property. Just as he is about to finish up, a couple arrives at the property. It's not long before the man is found out and he takes the couple hostage... At this point we are 10 min into the film.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from director Charlie McDowell ("The Discovery"). Here he brings a barebones hostage drama that seems appropriate for the times in which it was made: smack in the middle of the pandemic. Hence only 4 actors (the three mentioned earlier, plus the gardener in a limited appeareance), and one single location. At times this very much feels like a theater play. Once the story line is set, nothing much really happens (until the very end, that is) and instead we get to know the personalities. Is the robber really a bad guy? And what of the ultra-rich CEO? Is the hostage drama causing a rift in the marriage? All three lead performances are good, in particular Jesse Plemons as the CEO. Lily Collins (a/k/a Mrs. Charlie McDowell in real life) plays the role of the wife. Jason Segel )playing the robber) is also credited as the film's co-writer. The film's overall minimalist approach reminded me more than once of Steven Soderbergh's work. Bottom line: this movie is nothing earth-shattering but still worth checking out.

"Windfall" premiered on Netflix this weekend. If you are in the mood for a barebones hostage drama with a theater-like feeling to it and starring some solid acting performances, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.