Right At Your Door

NOTE: When I wrote this review a while back, it contained some small spoilers.  I've reordered this review so that this part is at the end and partitioned off for those who don't want to read it.  Moving along....

"WOW" was the word I kept silently mouthing as I watched this film. Cinematography, flawless acting, and an endlessly foreboding tone and script come together  in Right at Your Door for the most engrossing cinematic experience I've had in some time.
In a rare turn, the script and direction trust the intelligence of the viewer. In particular, subtle use of the radio provides small doorways into the current psychological states of the characters. Hence, the film isn't nearly as interesting or engaging if the viewer does not surrender their full attention. For the right viewer, however, that won't be the slightest problem. Additionally, there are any number of nuances to the relationships between the main characters; catching them all requires even more attentiveness. The director isn't hiding these things, however. These extra spices simply contribute to the feeling that the audience is watching real people. Plot points aren't telegraphed 20 minutes in advance in real life.

This riveting package comes in a small box. It was filmed on a small budget, but the claustrophobic quarters that provide the setting for the majority of the movie only add to the horror and futility of the situation. Considering that this is Chris Gorak's first film, I haven't been this excited about a debut since Shane Carruth's Primer (what's HE up to now?). Hitchcock ain't got nothin' on Chris Gorak!

Highly, HIGHLY Recommended!
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Slight spoilers follow, but they all follow under this umbrella: "This is a small interpersonal story taking place within your typical disaster movie."


Another strenth of the script? It employs a gritty realism via the only source of information the main characters have on hand: the radio news station. The story of the disaster that has befallen the outer world unfolds through this mechanism, the application of which should trigger memories of 9/11 for all but the most obtuse. The comparison, however, is never explicitly made, and the implied connection between the American disaster and the events in this film is applied with finesse and grace.
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Image Source: IMDB