A psychologically thrilling ride
A taut psychological thriller with sci-fi ele - ments, 10 Cloverfield Lane is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, and produced by J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber.
Unlike Cloverfield, which was presented in found footage style, 10
Cloverfield Lane is a more conventional third-person narrative that is based on a real low-budget screenplay, The
Cellar. But what makes the film such a satisfying ride is how the basically three-person cast excels as they deliberately ratchet up the tension quotient and continuously tease us with a “what would I do if I were in their shoes” internal commentary. Kudos then to the Abrams team for taking us on a different kind of journey, while providing us a film that firmly stakes its claim as Cloverfield territory by the film’s coda.
Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a woman running away from a troubled marriage, when a questionable road accident causes her to black out. She wakes up in an underground shelter built by self-proclaimed rescuer, Howard (John Goodman). The other character is Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), who explains his presence as having helped build the bunker and begging to be allowed to stay when mysterious events above ground began to occur.
What are really Howard’s motives, the mystery of whether above ground is truly “infected” and Earth has been invaded by alien forces and how, if ever, any form of rescue or escape for Michelle is in the cards, make for the better part of this film. A psychologi - cal journey about terror, captivity, hidden motives and palpable deceit, these elements keep us biting our nails and squinting as the unknown and “what comes next” keep preying on our minds as we watch the film.
While Winstead is terrific as resourceful, independent woman trapped in a possibly hopeless situation, it is the quietly chilling portrayal by Goodman that carries the film into darker, more sinister territory. Trying to earnestly play savior and nice guy is wonderfully done, while undercurrents of psychotic tendencies and insanity play on his face and body language. If ever we needed a face for what we could term “friendly malevolence,” I would nominate Goodman as official poster boy.
The last 10 minutes of the film shift the film’s center, catapult us into Cloverfield sci-fi territory and throws us the inescapable bone of “sequel.” But as a stand-alone foray, 10 Clover succeeds precisely because the cast is excellent and truly “plays” with the tight, claustrophobic scenario — it’s
Room for adults and geeks, with imminent violence the constant threat.