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It is crucial that films pose important questions. “Don’t Move,” a new thriller on Netflix by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler, poses an extremely important question: What if the entire film consisted of a scene that would only last a few minutes in any other film?
“Don’t Move” is primarily a formal filmmaking exercise, despite its respectable attempts to tackle themes of depression and mortality. In summary, Kelsey Asbille (“Yellowstone”) plays Iris, a mother who is grieving the untimely death of her son. She almost kills herself on a hiking trail at the beginning of the movie. Richard, portrayed by Finn Wittrock in “Origin,” interrupts her, bringing her back to reality and reminding her that “Broken Should have hope”
Richard, portrayed by Finn Wittrock (“Origin”), interrupts her, bringing her back to reality and reminding her that “broken doesn’t have to mean hopeless.”
Richard then ties Iris up, tases her, and throws her in his backseat just as she has finally found her desire to live again. Richard is revealed to be a serial killer, and to make Iris’s day even worse, he has given her a medicine that will paralyze her for an hour. She must now figure out how to save herself without moving.
From the nihilistic desperation of Rudolph Maté’s “D.O.A.” to the manic amusement of Neveldine/Taylor’s “Crank” films, thrillers about being drugged and running out of options can take many different forms. By flipping the way a ticking clock typically works, Netto and Schindler have made their jobs more difficult with “Don’t Move”: Iris will be able to fight back instead of dying when the timer goes off. Therefore, surviving until the alarm goes off is more important than figuring out how to stop the clock.
In order to make this small trick work, “Don’t Move” uses excellent cinematography by Zach Kuperstein (“Barbarian”), who takes advantage of stillness with tense closeups and point-of-view shots. The film’s challenge is also met by Kelsey Asbille, who uses a limited number of tools to portray a wide range of emotions and problem-solving ideas.
“Don’t Move,” as a sequence of set pieces, strikes a heart-stopping balance between Iris’s ability to think her way out of problems and her helpless dependence on the whims of cruel fate. She has no control over the lawnmower that an elderly recluse named William (played by Murray Treadwell) almost runs her over with, but all she can do is blink when he tries to speak to her. She has a lot to explain with just a few blinks, boy. She must have open lines of communication with a man who might or might not be able to assist her, particularly when Richard calls. That entire scene is pure Hitchcockian bliss, a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment if plans fall through or if life simply takes a different turn.
The issue is that Richard must make some of the worst choices in serial killing history in order to reach these exciting focal points. Since Richard acknowledges that he kind of forgot to search his victim today, Iris manages to use a Swiss Army knife to cut her way out of her bindings while she is restrained in his backseat.
She is able to exit his vehicle in this way, putting herself in a position where she may potentially survive this encounter. Richard also chooses to let Iris keep her iWatch because she needs to monitor the time during the film and cell phone reception is nonexistent in the mountains. Even so, there are plenty of homes with wifi throughout the mountains. They also pass gas stations while driving. In any case, he is prepared to take the risk. After all, removing a watch is just too difficult.
If Richard became extremely lazy, he would essentially be the antagonist from “The Vanishing.” Additionally, he is awful at using his words to avoid awkward situations. He attempts to use the old misogynistic jargon that Iris is his wife and that she is mentally ill and/or alcoholic, which explains why she is acting strangely and why you shouldn’t take her apparent fear and injuries personally. Richard is a man, and he is more than capable of handling this. However, he lacks improv skills.
“Don’t Move” is a genre play. To test whether this single aspect of a serial killer plot can be effectively developed into a full-length feature. Furthermore, it is not necessary for experiments to be completely effective in order for them to be worthwhile. The inventive and powerful nail-biter by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler will make you question whether you’d be as cunning as they are to survive in the same circumstance. For those who enjoy thrillers, it’s a great time.