Dir. Josiah Allen & Indianna Bell (2023)
During a terrible storm, a young woman seeks refuge at the isolated trailer of a lonely man.
Bottle movies, or movies that take place entirely in one (usually isolated) location are incredibly hard to get right. Without the progression of a story through various locales, this type of film requires an excellent script and fantastic performances from the actors within to carry the entire film. If either of these aspects are lacking, the movie becomes forgettable at best or downright awful at worst. When they're good, though, you wind up with some all-time classics, like Rear Window or 12 Angry Men. While today's film certainly won't live up to those legendary films, it's still a damn good effort, with nearly everything coming together to make an excellent film all around.
Patrick (Brendan Rock) lives alone in an old trailer, mourning the death of his wife and trying like hell to get rid of the doorbell ditching kids in the neighborhood. When The Visitor (Jordan Cowan) comes to his door in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, he's worried that she might not be who she claims to be. As her story begins to unravel and the anxiety and stakes continue to raise, Patrick begins to wonder if he should perhaps fear this young woman. The Visitor has her own questions, and as she and Patrick settle in for a night of question and answer, things begin to take a dark turn.
Rock and Cowan both do an exceptional job in their roles. The internal neuroses on display in each of their dialogue and mannerisms are fascinating to watch, and the performances will keep the audience guessing until the end as to how exactly this will all play out. The script, likewise, is very good, leaving no stone unturned as to how both characters wound up where they are and continually ratcheting the tension throughout. As the story crescendos to its heart-pounding conclusion, the audience is incredibly invested in both of these characters' stories and how they're going to make it through the night.
As good as both actors are, the real star of the show for me was the score. Based around the eerie song Sleepwalk, the ebbs and flows of the music combined with the window-rattling storm outside are just phenomenally engaging. It's creepy, enthralling, and massively well-done. I've always thought Sleepwalk was a creepy-as-hell song, but it's also hauntingly beautiful at the same time. It's used about as perfectly as possible, and You'll Never Find Me's use of the song should be studied by filmmakers for it's ability to make an enormous impact on the film without overplaying its hand or becoming bigger than the story itself.
Despite my tremendous appreciation for this film, it's also incredibly slow through most of its runtime. It's the definition of slow-burn, a microcosm of a setpiece with just two actors to carry the entire thing. If you're not someone who can appreciate good dialogue delivered competently, this definitely isn't the film for you. It's got a fantastic payoff that is worth the wait to say the least, but it takes a long time to get there and will be tough for those unwilling to put their ADD away for a bit. It's not a thrill-a-minute film by any means, but once it gets going, you'll see what it's all been for. The ending makes every bit of the plot, every bit of the buildup, pay off in unexpected ways, and it's definitely a film you want to go in blind.
Who this movie is for: Slow burn horror fans, Australian horror fanatics, GHB users
Bottom line: The slowest of burns with a fantastic payoff, You'll Never Find Me is a fantastic Australian horror film with a couple of truly excellent performances. The payoff is there if you're willing to wait through its slothful approach, and the score will be stuck in your head for days. Highly recommend checking this one out when it streams on Shudder 3/22.
