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The actors overplay their roles, giving broad stage-style performances, which feels hammy on film. Combined with the blunt dialog and almost hilariously surly characters, there's no one in this movie that comes across as a realistic human being. Peeler, Dooley, Forrest and Poppleton commit fully to these roles, wildly grimacing at each other as men who badly underestimate women. Only Peeler attempts a riotously absurd Southern drawl. Meanwhile, Keaton's furious Marsha is relentless as she takes them on with a massive gun, Schwarzenegger-style.

Even at just 74 minutes, the film feels padded out with long sequences that attempt to generate suspense. But Farmer doesn't supply enough information for us to know or care about what's happening. And various moments of speechifying add little to the stand-off. Wayne's brothers' idiotic ideas are far more entertaining, as is Helen's willingness to rush into the fray. At least there's one brutal shock and a chillingly emotive revelation. But even without a single light moment, the only response is to laugh.

themes, language, violence,

7.May.20

Performances are understated but beautifully complex, allowing the audience into the characters' thoughts and feelings. Flanigan and Ryder create strikingly distinct characters without saying a word. Autumn is watchful and wary, while Skylar is concerned and resourceful. They're so authentic that watching them sometimes feels like an invasion of privacy. In the scene that evokes the title, Autumn's conversation with a social worker (Chapman) is astonishingly frank, and stunningly well-played by Flanigan.

Because it's so intimate, the film never becomes a polemic, avoiding political arguments to focus on one woman's very specific journey. Abortion is never a good thing, and scenes also touch on important issues like consent and domestic violence. While Autumn and Skylar's financial desperation adds a layer of suspense to the narrative, it never takes over from the more internalised drama. And Hittman cleverly uses lighter moments to remind us that there are no easy decisions when hopes and dreams are at stake.

themes, language, violence

14.May.20

Performances are wonderfully understated, finely anchored by Gerety as a private man who takes life at face-value. It's fascinating to watch him emerge from his shell. Brown adds bright energy as he reaches out to Allery and Iola, pulling them out of their isolation and rallying the neighbourhood, although his own demons threaten to derail everything. And Shire is excellent in a well-developed role as the concerned wife whose response to what happens is provocative and hopeful.

Even if the plot feels constructed and overlong, there is complexity in the way it unfolds. Watching Allery become an unlikely leader to this group of misfits is inspirational. "I just want to do my job," he says, simply echoing how work is more than a salary: it's identity. And on a deeper, even more important level, Allery and Iola find themselves confronting their buried feelings. So as this plucky group of trespassers dig in and keep the production line running, the film gets under the skin in unexpected ways.

themes, language, violence

6.May.20