We all have our own ways of lashing out. And we’ve all gotten to a point where we’ve quite frankly had enough of our family to the point we wish we could get rid of them for a bit and get a little bit of alone time. This turns into a reality for John (Charlie Shotwell), the titular character in the chilly mysterious debut feature film from director Pascual Sisto.
John lives a privileged life in a nice house with his parents (Michael C. Hall & Jennifer Ehle) and sister (Taissa Farmiga) where he spends most of his days playing tennis, swimming in his pool, and playing video games online with his friend (Ben O’Brien). He is a curious kid asking curious questions all day long, sometimes in a strange and cold calculating fashion that comes across in an uneasy manner.
So when John stumbles across a deep hole that was built as a shelter, you know that it is going to come into play, just not that John would wind up drugging and dragging his family down into this pit. The next morning they wake up dazed and confused as to why they are down there, groggy and cold, only to find their own son staring down at them like a scientist studying his subject.
He ends up loving his time alone at the house, driving their car, taking cash out of the ATM using their accounts, and ordering an exuberant amount of chicken nuggets, basking in the freedom of not having to clean up after himself.
Sisto frames it all in a 4:3 aspect ratio meant to put you in the constrained headspace of the characters and give off a feeling of claustrophobia that certainly plays into the uneasy feeling running freely through the film. Sisto doesn’t offer any clear answers about much, leaving much up in the air in ambiguous fashion, with plenty up to audience interpretation – not always for the better.
While this choice is always a respectable one, Sisto does much to confound further such as a second storyline about a mother and daughter that goes absolutely nowhere and only adds even more perplexity to an already complex experience.
The cold and calculated direction by Sisto is mostly effective thanks to the equally chilly performance from Shotwell as John. Hall, Ehle, and Farmiga are all strong as usual, but it’s the presence of the young actor which the film rests on and he is very much up to the task. But the film never quite goes beyond engaging further than the premise leaving you wanting much more than is ultimately delivered.
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