Plot
On a dark stormy night in an Australian caravan park, a young woman knocks on the cabin of a middle aged man. He invites her into his home to escape the weather. They discuss all manner of things waiting for the storm to clear, so she can walk to the payphone to call a taxi.
As the night goes on, her story changes for how she arrived at his cabin, and why she is there.
His demeanor, and personality begins to make her uncomfortable as well, and it all culminates into a shocking truth about them both.
Direction
Directed by Josiah Allen and Indiana Bell, from a script by Bell. They are a writing director duo who hail from my home city of Adelaide Australia.
It was also filmed in Adelaide.
Cast
A small cast of just two, Brendan Rock plays “The Man” – who is introduced as Patrick throughout proceedings.
Jordan Cowan plays “The Visitor” who knocks on his door to be let in out of the wet and cold.
Breakdown
Another recent Australian Horror movie, that once again wowed me with what I saw.
Starting with the narrative – it has an odd start to it, where (prior to the title card) we see a man sitting in silence in his cabin. Post title card, he gets a knock at the door, and it is a (very quiet, and small) voice of a girl who is stuck out in the rain. She comes into his house, where he seems wary of her, and why she is here. He thinks he knows her, but can’t place her at all. He seems almost uneasy to have her in his apartment throughout the film.
She claims she was out swimming at the beach (at 2am in the pouring rain?), but he lives a drive away from the beach. This starts their long chats about randomness of life, such as marriage, life, what we run from etc. While these conversations are deep and meaningful, and almost philosophical at times, they don’t feel like they are conversations that two strangers would have with one another… (hint hint). This all culminates in a truth bomb near the end of the second act where the two play a card game.
During their many discussions, the storm rages on outside, causing all sorts of noises. The sound department of the film did an exceptional job with the diegetic sound, of not just the storm raging outside, but also those within the cabin (footsteps down the hall, knocking of the door).
The direction from first time long form film directors is wonderful. As the bulk of the film (over 95%) is the confines of the mans cabin, the use of lighting (with the lightning outside, the warm lighting due to it being night time, the blackout arc) is wonderfully done.
The camera work adds to the unease of the film too, as there are parts where characters are just out of focus, and walk towards the camera and then come in to focus. There is an amazing shot of the visitor looking at a ringing phone (and we see the reflection of the phone in her pupils… so cool). I really loved the “fourth wall” looks to camera – which reminded me of Silence of the Lambs.
The film does a great job of ‘foreshadowing’ what is to come with the revelation at the end, that *** spoiler *** Patrick is actually a serial killer, and the visitor is his first victim. She is a hallucination as he took the GHP that we see in a small bottle before the events of the film began. So all the lead up to how she got there, setting her up to be the villain (she was swimming at night, she found her way into a locked caravan park) are a cheeky and well written red herring.
She is also the flashback of the girl that we see through the car window, and all the events that transpire are those he caused (the blood in the shower is from the hammer he kills the girls with).
“Some” moments are a little odd considering the end of the film revelation.
Moments focus on her POV, like her shower (where her head pours with blood) and while he is outside in the rain trying to fix something, this leads her to find a second dead body (or the only dead body really?), and her earring in his bathroom. Considering this is his hallucination, the argument could be made that this is his conscience fighting a battle with what he’s done?
There is a small moment of ‘terror’ while all his victims taunt him as the GHB takes on more effect, and it ends with him seemingly dying of a drug overdose off screen.
Overall
Another great Aussie horror film, that has a great narrative, as well as a gotcha ending that doesn’t lean into the supernatural – but rather has a ‘real world’ ending.
I would have liked the ‘reveal’ occur somewhat sooner into proceedings, as this would have extended to the ‘man v woman’ conflict.
A strong recommend.
I also have this movie on my Podcast, please check it out.
4/5
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