Don’t Move is an American survival thriller film set for release in 2024. It has been directed by a duo, Adam Schindler and Brian Netto. Schindler and Netto have experience in the horror and suspense genres, and this film reveals their mastery of minimalist storytelling focused on complex themes of survival, isolation, and grief. Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock lead the cast, and the film was produced under the banner of Sam Raimi’s production company along with Hammerstone Studios and Capstone Studios. With its captivating premise and succinct narrative, the film has already been garnering attention for its psychological intensity and Netflix’s mastery in telling gripping stories.
Plot Summary
The film centers around the character of Iris, who is mourning the death of her young son. Iris drives to a secluded location where she intends to take her life. Her grief and the weight of her loss reveal raw emotions, making her state of mind quite fragile. A stranger approaches her as she sits in her car near the cliff, revealing a sympathetic façade, introducing himself as Richard.
To understand Richard’s actions, it is important to note that he adopts the role of a bereaved individual. He extends affection, emotional empathy, and gentle reassurance to Iris and ultimately persuades her to leave for a walk. However, just as Iris begins to trust him, he explosively injects her with a paralytic agent. Neurotoxin shores up Iris’s body in progressively paralyzing muscle groups until total paralysis is achieved. Her bodily functions will be completely frozen in about 20 to 30 minutes.
Iris, partially in shock and immobilized by a toxic agent, is placed into Richard’s vehicle. During this time, defying the odds and partially breaking free from her paralysis, she experiences enough control to crash the vehicle. This allows her to escape into the forest, though she is injured and disoriented. Despite her weakened state, she fights desperately against Richard’s unyielding pursuit, racing against her body’s relentless decline.
Ultimately, Iris washes up along a river and is rescued by Bill, a solitary farmer who takes her to his secluded cabin. While she cannot speak or fully move, Iris expresses distress through small gestures. Bill tries to assist her, but Richard arrives not long after to track her scent and deduces her position. This leads to violent conflict that results in Bill’s death and the cabin being burned to the ground.
Iris physically and emotionally confronts Richard in a rowboat at a nearby lake, where she flees to after moving away from the riverbank. While still weakened by drugs, she is able to stab Richard and eventually kill him with a nail gun he had brought. As Richard dies, Iris whispers, “Thank you,” suggesting the trauma has renewed her will to live. Surviving is a physical triumph and a symbolic reclamation of life and purpose.
Main Cast and Performances
Kelsey Asbille as Iris
Asbille provides a gripping and emotively charged performance. She is mostly silent and motionless during much of the film, drawing an expression and movement from herself to convey grief, panic, and resolve.
Finn Wittrock as Richard
Wittrock’s portrayal of Richard captures the essence of a villain who is cruel yet calm and charming. He delivers a chilling, realistic performance devoid of melodrama, crafting a disturbingly authentic portrait of sociopathy.
Moray Treadwell as Bill
As a kind-hearted farmer, Bill helps Iris during her struggles, albeit briefly. His character serves to punctuate the otherwise bleak narrative with a shrouded glimmer of humanity.
Daniel Francis as Dontrell
While a small part as a police officer, his role of Richard’s foil near the climax of the film adds some complexity to the intertwining plans of Richard and the protagonist pair, albeit with minimal contribution.
Direction and Style
In order to create a sense of unrelenting tension, Adam Schindler and Brian Netto divide the film into sections that are almost entirely real-time. The directors employ long shots with close-up cropping as a means of intensifying the audience’s experience of the film’s sense of confinement and helplessness. The predominant settings of the film are woodlands and indoor locations with limited space, which illustrates isolation.
The film’s feeling of claustrophobic confinement is enhanced by the cinematography of Zach Kuperstein, who employs shadow, light, and environment to convey mood. The open space of the forest conveys suffocating claustrophobia. The interiors are tainted with the feeling of being a trap rather than a safe haven. Through lighting, Iris’s deteriorating physical condition alongside her rising anxiety is projected in a withering light.
The soundtrack by Mark Korven and Michelle Osis combines ambient noise with pulsing soundscapes and dissonant strings to capture Iris’s emotional arc and the physical peril she is in. The suspenseful narrative of the story is accompanied by equally minimalist music.
Themes and Symbolism
Grief and Rebirth
Iris’s character experiences this psychological shift in the film’s opening when she expresses a will to die. Attempting to go into the forest suggests suicidal ideation, but ironically, the struggle to survive rekindles her instincts. This harrowing experience turns into a metaphorical journey towards emotional rebirth through intense adversity.
Control and Powerlessness
Iris’s character embodies the emotional paralysis caused by grief. Her inability to move under the influence of a paralytic agent represents a central horror device that serves as both a literal and symbolic tool. The gradual recovery of movement—muscle function—reflects the reclaiming of agency and self-worth.
Isolation
Iris is physically cut off from the external world, mirroring the emotional isolation experienced while mourning. The film is set in this type of temporal limbo. Even when help arrives, it is momentary, reinforcing the idea that true salvation must be self-generated.
Predator and Prey
Richard exemplifies calculated evil—exhibiting predatory, manipulative qualities and devoid of empathy. He treats Iris as an experiment, testing his limits. His defeat signifies a rejection of victimhood and a reclaiming of personal power.
Reception and Analysis
Critics appreciated the film’s suspense and the performance of Kelsey Asbille. Many praised the film’s minimalist approach and the subdued yet profound emotions that surfaced throughout the thriller plot. It was noted that the film’s use of silence and physical acting was a breath of fresh air compared to the overly verbose films that rely heavily on dialogue.
However, some reviewers criticized the film’s virtue of simplicity. While acknowledging the well-executed plot, some critics argued the narrative lacks thematic depth. Another critique offered was the opacity surrounding the villain’s motivations, which renders him a mere plot device rather than a fully developed character.
Overall audience reception noted an appreciation for the unrelenting pacing as well as the survivalist angle of the story. For viewers seeking a tightly wound emotional thriller, Don’t Move offered an effective, albeit formulaic, experience.
Conclusion
Utilizing a small cast within tightly constrained settings, high-concept suspense, and masterfully crafted tension, Don’t Move is a gripping and immersive 90-minute experience. The film evokes a visceral impact surpassing its simplistic premise owing to strong performances, particularly from Kelsey Asbille, alongside adroit direction from Adam Schindler and Brian Netto.
The film serves not only as a chase narrative, but also an allegory depicting the struggle to overcome emotional trauma. Capturing the primal human instinct for survival, the film strips the protagonist of control and mobility, showcasing the instinct to fight to the death. Don’t Move depicts a struggle for physical endurance and simultaneous emotional resurrection, conveyed through fear, movement, and silence.
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