SCREWDRIVER | Available Nationwide on Cable VOD and Digital HD November 10th
Synopsis: Blindsided by divorce, thirty-three-year-old Emily leaves her adopted Nebraska behind, returning to California with nothing but a suitcase in hand. She seeks refuge in the home of an old high school friend and his pharmacologist wife. The childless couple welcomes Emily into their lives, but their hospitality soon gives way to a surreal plot of cult-like manipulation and betrayal. As days bleed together, Emily falls into a delirious tailspin, forcing her to question her faith, her sanity, and the intentions of her generous hosts.
Thank the makers for actress AnnaClaire Hicks who stars in this not so thrilling new film from Cairo Smith. (Writer/Director). Without the organic, engaging persona that Hicks brings to her character Emily, this would be a hard 90-minutes to endure. What starts as an intriguing promise full of awkward conversations and possible creepiness slowly bogs down in a marsh of meandering dialogue and poorly written – and unbelievable – characters.
Robert (Charlie Farrell) and Emily (Hicks) we resume are high school classmates, or at least old friends. Yet Robert looks and acts way older that Emily. if this is supposed to help with his manipulation of her it doesn’t work. Robert’s wife Melissa (Milly Sanders) is a hot mess of chaos who is way too over the top to even begin to believe. Acting this bad and dialogue this froeced is always the fault of the director. No actor intentionally behaves this way.
Emily has come to stay with Robert and Melissa, but the way the talk to her from day one there is no way she would stay. There is a lot of assuming left up to the viewer as to why she stays and why they act this way. The story alludes to things we never see which sometimes adds to the mystery but here just seems like bad editing.
Also I think the story would have worked better – if possible – had Robert been cast by a more seductive, and charming actor. Robert gives off such a date rape vibe in this one that you can never imagine Emily ever being friends with him; regardless of her emotional state. But again, you want to see it through to the end. Something thrilling has to happen, right?
Whether Emily is crazy or we are is yet to be seen. Cairo might be trying to give us a modern Flowers in the Attic plot, but it just isn’t working. Emily goes from bored to drugged out psychosis in one scene jump. The journey makes no sense. The story makes even less. The attempt to add in broader topics of faith, religion, marriage, family, reproduction.. all fail to bring any sort of redemption to the muddled narrative.
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