Jake Horowitz | Through the Shattered Lens

Shut In is not a political movie.

It’s important to point that out because much of the online reaction to Shut In will be totally political. That’s because it’s the second film to have been produced by The Daily Wire. And yes, Ben Shapiro is listed as one of the film’s producers. For many, it doesn’t matter that the film’s script appeared on The Black List of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood. (Of course, some notoriously terrible movies have been made out of the scripts that appeared on The Blacklist — remember Cedar Rapids? — so maybe it’d be best not to call too much attention to that.) It won’t matter that the script was initially purchased by a major studio or that Jason Bateman (who is hardly a right-wing media figure) was originally set to direct it before the project was delayed by the pandemic. All that will matter is that the film was produced by the Daily Wire and therefore, it will be judged as being some sort of political statement.

Indeed, when the film’s premiere was streamed on YouTube earlier tonight, I kept one eye on the movie and another eye on the chat comments. About 80% of them were from people saying, “Let’s go Brandon!” 18% were from people saying, “Biden 2024 Harris 2028.” And 2% of the comments were from some group of weirdoes who were obsessed with Liz Cheney. The film itself might not be political but the film’s audience definitely was and probably will continue to be so. I imagine most hardcore online liberals will automatically hate the film because of who produced it while most hardcore online conservatives will be tempted to overpraise it and cite it as proof that a good film can be made outside of the Hollywood system. It’s tempting to say that’s just the way of the world nowadays but, to be honest, it’s really just the way of the extremely online world. Most people won’t care one way or the other. They’ll just view it as a being an effective thriller.

And, make not doubt about it, Shut In is not a bad film. It’s an effectively tense thriller, one that has plenty of suspense and which makes good use of its limited budget. If it’s never quite a great film, that’s because there’s a few pacing and plausibility issues, especially early on in the film.

Shut In stars Rainey Qualley as Jessica, a former dug addict who has escaped from her abusive ex and who is now trying to start a new life, with her young daughter and her newborn son, in an isolated farmhouse. Unfortunately, when her ex, Rob (Jake Horowitz), and his scummy friend, Sammy (Indie film legend Vincent Gallo, making his first film appearance in ten years), show up at the house, Jessica ends up getting locked in the pantry while Rob and Sammy ransack the house and, most importantly, steal her phone so she can’t call for help. Trapped in the pantry, Jessica tries to figure out a way to escape while also trying to instruct her young daughter on how to take care of her baby brother. The whole time, of course, she’s aware that Sammy and Rob could return at any minute.

Director D.J. Caruso does a good job of building and maintaining tension throughout the film. The majority of the film’s action takes place in that pantry and, just like Jessica, we find ourselves forced to try to interpret the sometimes random footsteps and snippets of conversation that we hear throughout the house. Rainey Qualley, who is the daughter of Andie MacDowell and who has a Southern accent that is almost as prominent as her mother’s, is sympathetic in the role of Jessica and does a good job of playing up not only her fear but her strength. Jessica is a survivor and it’s difficult not to admire her as she searches for a way to escape. Vincent Gallo is older but still as uniquely photogenic as he was during his indie heyday. He’s memorably creepy as Sammy.

As I said, it’s not a flawless film. It takes a while for things to really get going and, towards the end of the film, a few of the characters behave in ways that defy logic. One key moment depends on a character surviving something that, by all logic, should have easily killed them. It may not be a political film but there are a few bits of heavy-handed religious symbolism, including an injury that deliberately calls to mind stigmata. That said, when Jessica finally begins to fight back, it’s an enjoyably cathartic moment.

Shut In is an effective thriller and a determinedly non-political one. If nothing else, it’ll keep you out of the pantry.

The Vast of Night opens with an announcement that we are about to watch the latest episode of something called Paradox Theater. While the fact that what we’re watching is supposed to be a television show never directly ties into the plot, it’s still a clever little twist that pays homage to old anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. It’s appropriate because The Vast of Night tells the type of story that one might expect to see on one of those old shows. It’s the story of two ordinary people confronting the unknown.

Taking place in New Mexico in the 1950s, The Vast of Night tells the story of two friends. Everett Sloan (Jake Horowitz) is a teenage disc jockey at the local radio station. Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick) is a switchboard operator. The opening scenes of the film are devoted to Everett and Fay walking around the local high school. Fay has a new tape recorder, which was apparently considered to be something of a luxury item in the 1950s. Everett is full of advice. They’re both immediately likable and their friendship is enormously appealing. They’re the type of people that I would want to be friends with if I ever found myself living in the 1950s.

Everett goes to his job at the radio station. Fay takes her seat behind the switchboard. She listens to Everett’s show, which is suddenly interrupted by a strange audio signal. Fay starts to get calls from people reporting some sort of strange phenomenon in the sky while Everett asks if anyone who was listening to the show can identity the origin of the signal. An unseen man named Billy (played, in a wonderful voice-over performance, by Bruce Davis) calls and explains that he used to be in the military. He tells Everett a story that, at first, seems impossible to believe but, as the night goes on, becomes more and more plausible.

Filmed in my home state of Texas, The Vast of Night is triumph of atmosphere and good writing. This is an independent film that makes brilliant use of its low-budget, using unknown (but talented) actors and just a few locations to tell a story that grows progressively creepier with each passing minute. Making his directorial debut, Andrew Patterson keeps the story running at a steady and involving pace while collaborating with cinematogrpaher M.I. Litten-Menz to fill the screen with shadowy images and tight close-ups that work to keep the audience off-balance.

There’s an authenticity to The Vast of Night, one that would probably not be there if the film had been a big budget studio film. Despite the opening declaration that we’re just watching an episode of a TV show, the characters in The Vast of Night feel very real. Whether it’s Billy saying that he never told his story to anyone because he figured they wouldn’t believe him because of the color of skin or the character of eccentric old Mabel (played by Gail Cronauer), telling her strange story in the most comforting tones possible, the film is full of little details that bring the story to life,

It’s an entertaining film, one that builds to a somewhat unexpected climax. The story and the characters stay with you after it ends. I look forward to seen what Andrew Patterson does next and Sierra McCormick deserves to be a big star. Watch the movie on Prime. It’s good.