Director DJ Caruso’s thriller Trancada hit Prime Video in May, and while it’s slower paced than it should be, it’s a nice addition to streaming.
One of the big news of May in the Prime Video catalogue is a thriller from director DJ Caruso. Authorized blocked, the film mixes drama with tension to tell the story of a mother of two young children, who must do everything possible to defend them from their drug addict father and his paedophile friend. With Rainey Qualley (Eight women and a secret), the work has a much slower pace than expected and at times even becomes tiring, but, in general, it is popular for the good premise and for the anguish it conveys.
In the storyline, Qualley is Jessica, a former drug addict who struggles every day to stay clean and take care of her children, Lainey is the oldest, four years old. As soon as her grandmother dies, she goes to her house to clean it up and try to sell it. It turns out that, on the spot, she is surprised by Rob (Jake Horowitz), her ex-boyfriend, and Sammy (Vincent Gallo), her friend who has previously abused a girl. The two lock her in her pantry and make her life hell, threatening the children.
Running out of time, Jessica must find a solution to leave the place and protect her children, and it is with this premise that blocked create scary situations to captivate the viewer. With heartbreaking but not explicit moments, the film touches on topics such as child abuse and drugs to leave the audience biting their nails.
Flaws appear, however, when the script forgets that such tension is essential to keeping pace. At various times there is no dialogue and a certain apathy takes over the scenes.
Jessica, for example, seems too quiet for those locked in the pantry, knowing that her two children are alone and hungry. She only really cares when Sammy approaches Lainey, but her facial expression is still too serene for the desperation she should be feeling.
It’s not to say that Qualley is a bad actress, but it’s clear she wasn’t well directed. Despite her experience in other titles such as Paranoia, Redemptive love AND I’m number fourCaruso didn’t do well blocked and let the movie fall into slow motion.
The other two supporting actors appear little on the scene, but when they do they are not sorry. The highlight is the little Luciana VanDette, who plays Lainey, and her stunt double Penélope Martone. Both manage to be sweet and pleasant, which makes the film even more compelling, awakening in the viewer the fear that something bad could happen to the character.
Religion as the fulcrum
In addition to the drama of having to protect their two young children, Jessica also faces the temptation of having to resist a pack of cocaine that is within her reach. She’s been clean for some time, she doesn’t want to go back to drugs and somehow finds in her faith the strength to hold on.
Between furtive glances at the cross in the pantry and some Bible readings, the protagonist gradually builds her relationship with the sacred, but even these moments are somewhat lost in the plot, especially after she manages to get out of captivity. .
Photography and landscape
Other points that like, but fall into the cliché, are photography and set design. For a change, we have a big house, with stairs (of course!) isolated in the middle of nowhere. Who could live there? The protagonist lives with her two small children. Of course, something bad is going to happen and it’s no surprise to the viewer.
Another point already seen several times in various horror and suspense films is the contrast between the dark in the tense moments and the light in the happy ending part. blocked abuses this formula and does not bring any innovation.
Thus, we can say that the great success of the film is precisely to use the sweet children to generate the necessary angst and also to tell the story from Jessica’s point of view. Newcomer Melanie Toast’s storyline is promising, and with proper direction it could work even better, but there’s no denying that Caruso’s feature is, in some ways, a good addition to Prime Video’s catalog.
Who wants to give a chance blockedfind it exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
