Shut In – Tense Thriller
Director: D.J. Caruso
Writer: Melanie Toast (Screenplay)
Starring: Rainey Qualley, Jake Horowitz, Luciana VanDette, Vincent Gallo, Penelope Martone, Aidan Steimer
Plot: When a young mother is barricaded inside a pantry by her violent ex-boyfriend, she must use ingenuity to protect her two small children from escalating danger while finding an escape.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Shut In starts when Jessica (Qualley) is looking to escape her abusive relationship with her children Lainey (VanDette) and baby Mason, finds herself locked in her pantry. When her violent ex-boyfriend Rob (Horowitz) arrives to help her out, he only locks her back in there.
As Jessica searches for a way out, she must help Lainey from the other side of the door, as she must always take care of the baby, but the dangers are real, and her battle with addiction might be her toughest one yet.
Thoughts on Shut In
Characters & Performances – Jessica is the former addicted turned mother who is looking to start a new life after years of abuse, packed up ready to go, when disaster strikes, and she finds herself trapped in the pantry. Things only take a turn for the worst when the abusive boyfriend returns with his addict friend, putting the children in danger. She will need to battle her own addiction which will tempt her to return to her previous life or battle to save her children. When it comes to Rob and Sammy, they are both involved in continuing to get their addictions not caring who they hurt, feeding their selfish ways. Rainey Qualley in the leading role gives the best performances, showing the balance her character is going through.
Story – The story here will follow a mother locked in a pantry, needing to hope her infant child can keep her baby safe, with the threat of her abusive ex and addict friend lurking around the home, as she battles her own demons in hope of making it out. The story here shows everything from the point of view of the mother, as she can only listen to what is happening outside the door. While we do get tension about the dangers outside, we have a personal battle the mother must go through, showing her constant battle to overcome addiction, one she has been winning, but shows how the temptation could come back around.
Themes – Shut In is a tense thriller that will keep everything inside the one home, showing that certain rooms could be filled with dangerous locks. It will help keep everything contained within the film.
Signature Entertainment presents Shut In on Digital Platforms 30th May
Final Thoughts – Shut In is a tense thriller that keeps everything contained.