When Strangers Appear

The people who have written most of these comments are disappointed of the ending. I say that the ending takes the film a step higher! You don't have to analyze everything and you don't have to come up with meanings that you believe is the idea of the film and then hate them. At least it won't make anyone happier. There is no background music in this film, as I recall, and there are very few people. That sets the mood, and it's a pretty frightening one. Pressuring even. The filming is great, or so I think anyway. My best tip for those who are going to see this movie is that you shouldn't have expectations. This film won't give you all the answers you perhaps will be looking for but it gives you a feeling of something, and if you ask me it's just what films are for - Making you think and/OR making you feel something. In this case, the mood. Beautiful. Top score.

...and to put it shortly, it's not as intriguing as Pitch Black but far more enjoyable than Lantana on the other hand.

yes it's true, this is only B-grade low-budget suspense thriller where nothing is as it appears to be (speaking of immediate succession of events) but nonetheless I really liked Radha Mitchell in her role, I really liked the humble setup and I really liked the ending where the story bends into a full circle (well, almost).

maybe it's not an art film of the year with heart-breaking scenes where father and son meet after years of nerve-wrecking separation or something but it's quite enjoyable if you give it a chance. I did and wasn't disappointed.

7/10

In an abandoned secondary road, Beth (Radha Mitchell) owns a diner and a motel inherited from her father. Every day she needs to walk on a lonely road from the hotel to the diner. One day, when she opens her diner, the starving and moneyless Jack Barrett (Barry Watson) arrives, and she serves a free meal to him. Soon three surfers - Peter (Josh Lucas), who is the leader, Stephen (Johnny Blick) and Roger (Eryn Wilson) - arrive at the diner and Jack hides himself in the kitchen. The trio asks for meal and Peter is nice with Beth. When they leave the place, Beth talks to Jack and takes him to a room in her motel. She finds that he is stabbed on the belly and drives him to her only friend in town, Dr. Eric Leonard (Steven Ray). She does not want to call the local Sheriff Bryce (Kevin Anderson), who raped her in the past, but when Dr. Leonard records a strange message in her answering machine, she calls Bryce and asks him to investigate his clinic. Bryce sees a notice saying that the clinic will be closed for a few days, and he does not enter the clinic. Beth meets Peter and asks him to go with her to the clinic, where they see blood everywhere and Dr. Leonard and Jack missing. When she sees Jack, he tells her that Peter and his friends killed Dr. Leonard and will kill them. Who is telling the truth?

"When Strangers Appear" (2001) is still a good thriller when revisited more than twenty-years later. The screenplay keeps Beth and the viewer without knowing who is telling the truth and the content of the CD. Despite the low budget, the film by Scott Reynolds is great since the cast is excellent. The music score is also top-notch. After the credits, there is a disappointing footage that I have seen only today. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Quando Estranhos Chegam" ("When Strangers Arrive")

A beatiful trip into the cinematographic nihilistic non sense of a story without real meaning, but tight, well written and with a cool music all around. This is a thriller how it should be done, without relaxation, always on the edge of something, full of surprises and with good acting for most of the leads. This is another good surprise from down under, thanks to the misunderstood genius of new-zealander Scott Reynolds, whose The Ugly was something of a miracle, a really disturbing tense horror, not very much appreciated. The female lead is the gorgeous Radha Mitchell (already seen in Pitch Black). What more can I say? Buy or rent this movie and you'll find your money well spent. Thumbs up!!

I saw this one years ago and it was a nice discovery.

This is a pure film. All built on its characters and storytelling development.

It's a B movie from Australia - which makes me happier, this is a country that I used to live in - that has nothing but a good story to tell and a good acting.

All set in basically three or four locations in which the art direction and the cinematography took the best out of them, transforming the loneliness and the emptiness of the places in a excellent element of the film.

The editing is very intelligent, always helping the twists of the movie getting more intense and also giving that motion and never letting the tension down.

Bottom line, it's a "old-time-kind-of-movie" in which no rush is seen and things happen when it has to happen.

8/10.