- Release year: 2024
- Director: Jed Hart.
- Producers: Sophie Ede, Harri Kamalanathan, Jens Nielsen, Iain Simpson, and Benedict Turnbull.
- Screenplay by: Jed Hart.
- Cinematography by: David Bird.
Synopsis: a carer gets a noisy new neighbour that will slowly drive her insane.
Shotgun Commentary: asphyxiating narrative with a happy(ish) ending.
Review
Restless is the type of film where the protagonist suffers to unimaginable levels and doesn’t turn things around until you feel a level of hatred towards the villain that you’ve probably never felt about anyone else in your real life. It is the type of narrative where, even when the bad guys get punished, it doesn’t feel satisfying enough. To which one must give credit to everyone involved, but specially the actors for being so devilishly good.
The big two
The story is built around Nicky (Lyndsey Marshal). She is a carer at a nursing home who is shamelessly exploited by her greedy boss, condescended by the man trying to court her (I’m writing from the 18th century, sue me), and utterly disrespected by her neighbour and his friends. The nicer she tries to be, the more punches she receives from life.
This type of character is tricky to write since they need to be nice enough to make you empathise, but not too much of a pushover. Else, it gets tedious to watch them. Nicky is the exact balance of both, which makes her the best protagonist for this particular story. Marshal’s performance is so compelling it’s almost hypnotising, making Nicky’s character arc a joy to follow.
As for her nemesis, Deano (Aston McAuley), he is the typical uneducated thug with no respect for the law, women, or anything and anyone that is not himself. You know the type. Those who spend their lives raving about respect, sanity and freedom, but can’t even fathom the meaning of those words. McAuley delivers a truly nauseating character, providing the perfect villain for you to loath throughout the entire film, although he is also the reason why people with high blood pressure should not attend any screenings on this one.
Gotta love the motherland
Still, Deano might be the loudest a-hole in Nicky’s life, but he is certainly not the only one. The commentary on capitalism and blood-sucking corporations is made clear through the behaviour of her boss, a leech of a man who could not care less about exploiting his workers for all they are worth, even if that costs them their health and their sanity. All of that to avoid the salary of another very much needed worker in the premises.
This is one of the reasons why UK’s public services are absolutely useless, a matter that is further highlighted when it is made obvious that nobody is going to help Nicky with her horrible neighbour. What is the police for? You might be wondering. The same thing yours truly wondered about the ambulance amidst fighting off the symptoms of poisoning.
In the end, this critic had to sweat it out in bed while praying to the old and new gods, much like one would do in Medieval times. Same as Nicky ends up having to find her own way of dealing with her delinquent neighbour as if she was living in a kind of lawless dystopia. Then again, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck…
Give me a BREAK
But enough with the blatantly useless public services in the UK, let’s now turn out focus on yet another scourge of society, men like Nicky’s love interest. A man that can’t help but to mansplain to Nicky everything that is going on with her life, going as far as getting rightfully socked when he tries to play knight in shining armour because apparently Nicky doesn’t know how to defend herself…
This part of the story is the one that makes you go, “let me guess, a man wrote this”, and you would be wrong. Why is it that a man can be obnoxious and condescending, but when a woman uses that insufferable person for her own benefits once, she feels the need to apologise? It is so frustrating to see that the man doesn’t even acknowledge or realise how much of an annoying arse he is, yet for some unknown reason she decides to come crawling back to him. These five final minutes pretty much spoil the whole story, which comes to show that sometimes less is more.
All in all, Restless is a great thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Sometimes gripping it due to the anger, sometimes due to the stress. The characters are fantastic and, if one omits the last absurd five minutes, the story is absolutely perfect.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never f*ck with a woman’s cat.
- Sometimes the neighbourhood thug is your best choice.
- People are unwilling to help unless the problem affects them directly.
What’s your take? Have you watched Restless? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀