Hospitality an effective thriller

Simple but effective, this thriller from cowriters and directors Nick Chakwin and David Guglielmo (No Way to Live) makes the most of its relatively few moving parts. It’s a five-hander; six if you count the rabbit. Emmanuelle Chriqui is Donna, running a bed and breakfast in a small town; Conner McVicker plays her 18-year-old developmentally disabled son. JR Bourne is the local sheriff, who clearly has some dirt on Donna and takes unseemly advantage of it. Sam Trammell plays a guest who last stayed there 20 years earlier. And Jim Beaver is following him. With such a sparse cast and setup, one wrong move will sink the story. Fortunately, the filmmakers never stumble. They set up a couple of dark, buried secrets, lay on a wild-west score — thick but just shy of being corny — and they let the actors do their work. And there’s a pet bunny in peril, because everyone can feel for a rabbit. Hospitality is available on demand.