Right at Your Door

I had a chance to catch this at SUNDANCE.

It was probably the best movie I saw at the festival, though I only saw a handful of other films.

It's a solid debut by Chris Gorak and not a waste of 90 minutes. The setup is very good, as is the pacing and cinematography. They made the most out of what little money they had.

I have to say that at times it bordered on horrifying, and could've been classified as a horror film if some of those moments continued. Since I've lived in Los Angeles for about five years, I was particularly affected by the scenario. It's a very real possibility LA could be hit with a dirty bomb, and the repercussions would probably be similar to what's in the film.

It does suffer from some holes and stretches in logic and performance, but most thrillers do, so that's not necessarily a slam.

I can't say I liked the ending, but I was gripped by the story and the way it was shot.

A solid thriller.

In Los Angeles, Brad (Rory Cochrane) and his wife Lexi (Mary McCormack) live in the suburb and are in love for each other. Brad is an unemployed musician and Lexi is financially supporting the family. She wakes up in the morning and heads in her convertible to the highway to work downtown.

Brad listens to the news that dirty bombs have just blown up in Los Angeles in a terrorist attack and the authorities warning people seal off doors, windows and any opening and stay home. The desperate Brad does not respect the curfew and drives his car to downtown, but he does not succeed in crossing the police barriers. He returns home and the worker Alvaro (Tony Perez) of his next door neighbor requests protection to Brad. They seal themselves off in the house and listen to the radio about the danger of the unknown chemicals and the panic of the population with the hospitals overcrowded. Out of the blue, Lexi returns home covered of chemical ashes. Brad has to come up to a decision about the unexpected return: should he open or not their house?

"Right at Your Door" is a tense and scary low budget movie by Chris Gorak. The movie is like a theater play and is supported by the outstanding screenplay, magnificent direction and top-notch performances of Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane. The twist in the end is absolutely unexpected and certainly makes the viewer think a lot about the attitude of Brad and how realistic this story is. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Toque de Recolher" ("Curfew")

It doesn't take a big budget to make a good movie about what it would be like to be in a big city in a terror attack. Terror is after all, a personal emotion. Whatever the state of your relationship at that moment, that's where the picture freezes. You're not fully moved in, you hate your family, you had a fight... that's where things stand when the bombs go off. And if you're not blasted or burned or crushed in the initial blast, and if you're moderately resourceful, you'll find a way to survive -- for a while at least. And then you hope the 'authorities' do the right thing and come to save you. If you've thought about all of these things, you will appreciate how Chris Gorak plays it all out. This is not a movie for everyone. If you want all your questions answered, a big studio popcorn movie is probably more your style. But if you appreciate the exercise of putting yourself in the protagonist's shoes, this is a great ride.

Right At Your Door taps into the current climate of fear caused by international terrorism, with a tale of a 'dirty' bomb attack on downtown Los Angeles that results in a cloud of toxic dust engulfing nearby residential areas.

Focusing on a married couple caught up in the disaster, the film seeks to wring tension from a rather inspired and decidedly awkward situation which sees husband Brad (Rory Cochrane) safely sealed inside his house (as instructed by the authorities), when his contaminated (and now potentially deadly) wife Lexi (Mary McCormack) turns up outside, demanding to be let in.

Such an intense situation requires class-A dialogue, top notch acting, and flawless plotting from start to finish in order to succeed, and, at first, it seems as though Right At Your Door might have what it takes: the promising opening, in which Brad gradually realises what is happening and then desperately attempts to locate his wife in all of the confusion, is well realised.

Unfortunately, as the film progresses and the action becomes concentrated on the dilemma faced by the terrified Brad and Lexi, too many mundane scenes of chit-chat, the inclusion of a couple of pointless characters, and some very ill-considered moments that really take some swallowing, ultimately mean that the movie fails to maintain its tension.

Towards the end, obviously sensing that his script desperately needs a boot up the rear, writer/director Chris Gorak tacks on a last minute 'shock' twist ending, but it is so far fetched that it is unable to save the film from being yet another example of a good idea let down by a poorly constructed script.

RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR is the terrifying story of the detonation of a "dirty bomb" in a major city, in this case Los Angeles. It takes us into a suburban home, seals us in with the occupant, and allows us to experience the claustrophobia, paranoia, and tragedy for ourselves.

One of the most unsettling aspects is how Brad (Rory Cochrane) is unable to get accurate information about what has happened. He and a neighbor tape clear plastic over every door and window in hopes of keeping out whatever is in the toxic cloud outside.

When Brad's wife (Mary McCormack) shows up at the door, heart-shattering decisions must be made.

This is an effective, realistic bio-thriller with a wicked twist at the end. It'll have you stocking up on duct tape and 6-mil. Poly sheeting...