First time writer/director Gareth Tunley marshals the meagre resources of this micro-budget psychological thriller and creates a pleasingly perplexing enigma of a movie. Tom Meeten stars, face desolately etched, eyes darting, as Chris, a man whose therapy sessions unearth an occult plot that may or may not be all in his chaotic mind.
Since almost every character here is an unreliable witness or viewed through the eyes of one, this is a narrative that deliberately unsettles and unbalances the viewer, with a looping structure that is somewhat reminiscent of Omer Fast’s Remainder.
Tunley achieves this brilliantly through several standout scenes – Paul Kaye delivers an electrifying monologue about a drug deal gone bad that jolts the jittery energy up a notch. And Chris’s sessions with his new therapist, Morland (Geoffrey McGivern) are an off-kilter delight. All of this unfolds to a score that prickles with anxiety and sounds like it was played on acupuncture needles and trepanning drills.
