Shut In

A recovering addict is clearing her mothers house following her death, preparing to sell what she can and move to the city in the hopes of finding a job to support her young daughter and even younger son. It is during this final push where she is visited by her ex boyfriend, Rob, and his friend, Sammy. While things seem amicable at the start, tensions rise, and things escalate till Jessica is locked in the storage room. When she is secured in the room, Jessica is given a packet of drugs, as Rob wants her to relapse and re enter their world. Things get rough, people are turned into ex-humans and everything is wrapped up in a neat bow at the end.

This is an intimate film that focuses on Jessica, and her journey through this transitional point in her life. As a result she is the only character in the film that has a distinct arc in the narrative, alongside a fair bit of character development. She goes from someone that is down in the dumps and struggling with no plan, to one that is hopeful and determined to make things work, not just for herself, but for her children too. Rob and Sammy, on the other hand, remain static in terms of progression, but do get some development so they are actual characters as opposed to caricatures.

The fact they do not progress is beneficial because it is narratively and thematically relevant. In order to grow and change, one needs to be moving. This is shown through Jessica's character. Conversely, Rob and Sammy are static and shows staying still is unhealthy. In fact if you are staying still, you are actively regressing as others are moving forward regardless of your station. Much like stagnant water, life becomes polluted and poisonous.

The narrative aspects of the film are less stellar. The film does well to set up a lot of what will be used in the opening act of the film. However, when it comes to using them, it is often contrived. For example, it just so happened Jessica got locked in the storage room, and it just so happened her ex boyfriend arrived at that particular vulnerable point in time, and it just so happened Sammy was there with him. Coincidences such as this are not restricted to the first act, and are sprinkled in throughout the film at various intervals. While they by no means break the narrative, they add a pinch of convenience to the concoction.

Thematically, there are a lot of religious parallels throughout the film. At times the imagery can be a little blunt, like a hammer to the side of the head. The nails are an example of when it is most heavy handed. Regardless, it all leads to the idea of rebirth, and considering the past Jessica has lived it is an apt theme to explore. While much of the imagery is blunt enough to be obvious it never became obnoxious.

The final point to bring up is that this is a film not at all afraid to go to some rough places that are bound to make some uncomfortable with the subject matter. What is well done is the presentation. Things are not cartoonish over the top, populated by caricatures,, and neither does it make light of the subject matter. It is a film that addresses its topics and explores them in a manner that is both respectful and mature. What is most refreshing is that it is a film that is interested in telling a story, rather than lecturing.

This is an interesting film because it is the first in a line of films made and distributed by The Daily Wire, and as its first outing towards film production it's a neat film to start off on and sets a great benchmark to improve upon.