caustic.wit@aol.com

6/10

Rainey Qualley (Jessica) was tasked with carrying this whole movie, as the cast was minimal and much of the dialogue other than Qualley's was off camera. I thought she did pretty well, although her beautiful face is not entirely expressive. Her character is a recovering addict that is trying to improve her life and her parenting, but her intoxicated husband and his douchebag buddy have other plans and put her in a locked pantry. Her preschool daughter and infant son are left to follow instructions to fend for themselves. It's a simple, interesting premise that created tension with the idea that we can never be sure of the safety of the children or how Jessica was to escape her situation. I liked it, but it wasn't anything I expect to watch again. The good stuff: ** The child actress who played Jessica's daughter Lainey was a good fit for the role. She wasn't required to do much, but I appreciated her ability to act her age. Too many child actors are too advanced to be believed. The director's choice to make her appropriately annoying without overdoing it was also positive. ** Rainey Qualley did a great job of making us root for her, even if she had her flaws. The bummers: -- The child molestation threat wasn't very fun to watch. -- The last act was fairly straightforward and ending was a bit tame, even it was positive. -- Sammy and Rob were one-note characters that had no complexity.

BryceSpencer

0/10

Not exactly my cup of tea, but still fantastic. Needless to say, this was an interesting film, and it's nice to get away from Hollywood for a change. Though it wasn't particularly a 'must-rewatch'. And there was a sequence or two that may have been a bit predictable, and maybe a few things here and there. But there were definitely quite a ton of aspects I really liked and honestly just wasn't expecting. The thing that stood out the most was the way they utilized a single location and a relatively small cast. They way they did so much with so little makes it feel a lot more like a folk film or indie film. The idea of the entire story surrounding just one location would seem boring, lackluster and just interesting. But luckily, this isn't the case. There are some pretty high stakes when it comes to the vulnerable kids, and the scenes of Jessica's fight against Sammy (no spoilers) especially caught me off guard, and really kept the anxiety and tension high. So at the end of the day, the Daily Wire did a fantastic job of giving us a Hollywood-quality thriller film that focuses on telling a good and unique story instead of pushing "the message". 7.5/10.