DVD Review: Faults

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Mom, dad, just let me be in a cult, okay?

When we first meet Ansel (Leland Orser, or the unfortunate guy who got stuck with the strap on from hell in Se7en) he is a total ass. He's cheap and an obvious scammer. He's giving a speech at a hotel about a book he wrote on escaping cults. It ends with him getting punched in the face by a man whose sister died after one of his deprogramming sessions. A man and a woman (Chris Ellis and Beth Grant) approach him and want him to help save their daughter, Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has become part of a cult known as The Faults. At first he doesn't want to, but he owes his manager money and severely needs this job.

I've read nothing but good reviews about this film, so when Film School Rejects pointed out that you can rent it on iTunes for 99 cents, I jumped at it. The great thing about this film is that I expected it to go one direction, and it went in the complete opposite. 

Orser and Winstead are phenomenal. The film is mostly those two in a hotel room and they make up for the lack of, let's say budget in this film. They carry it, give you a constant sense of uneasiness, then almost make you feel comfortable in it. While the film can be a bit sluggish, it's conclusion is so interesting that it can be forgiven. The supporting cast (mainly Lance Reddick and Jon Gries, who have two small but important roles) provide much needed amusement.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

 Memorable Quote: "I was meant to find them" - Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 1, 2015 at 3:24 PM

    This sounds so up my alley! I never heard of this one, but I'll need to check it out.

    I'll never forget that strap on scene :-P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 2, 2015 at 7:42 AM

      I'm not sure that I've seen this guy in anything since that, but he was so good here.

      Delete
  2. UnknownJuly 1, 2015 at 9:39 PM

    This sounds like a terrific character-driven movie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alex WithrowJuly 7, 2015 at 11:58 AM

    Glad you like this one. I too enjoyed that it played with our perceptions, and Orser and Winstead really did kill it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoshJuly 24, 2015 at 4:52 AM

    This does sound interesting, but I'll probably end up skipping it. Who knows.

    ReplyDelete

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