Inheritance

Conceptually I enjoyed that this film was shot on iPhones and I thought the cinematography was interesting for all that. I enjoyed some of the twists or smart decision making by our lead character Maya. My favorite part of the film was the tie in with the title at the end.

Now for what I didn't like...the majority of this film is watching Maya (Phoebe Dynevor) run around...which speaks to a lack of plot. What plot there was, was decent...but probably more suited to a short short or a film short.

The film begins with Maya's mother's passing from a long battle with an illness. Her absentee father, Sam (Rhys Ifans) shows up for the funeral and offers Maya, not her sister, a one time job with him in Cairo. It seems to be a no loose situation and might help her answer some questions she has about her dad...only Sam ends up taken almost within minutes of Maya's arrival in Cairo. He is being held hostage in order for Maya to retrieve something Sam has hidden to exchange for him. This leads her to India...and eventually to Korea, where pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

There are definitely some clever things in this film...but again it could have been told in a short with the rest of the running around unnecessary. Didn't quite make it on my recommendation list...unless you just want to see what can be done with an iPhone.

The movie is pretty good for an indy film. The story is meh, you pretty much got it figured out. The action sequence is also meh. But what really made this film incredible is the filming style. I don't believe I've ever seen a film this way.

The camera is like a person going along with the character. It is not a found footage, which I hate, or like a 1st person view. It is just different and it worked. I find the camera work smooth and immersive. It literally feels like you are there with the character. It is even better because the film takes place in multiple locations in the world.

In sense it feels like you are taking a vacation to Egypt, India, and South Korea, literally the camera is on the street level and you get to see everything around you like you are actually there.

Overall I enjoyed it. 5/10.

Inheritance feels like it was made on a modest budget, but that actually works in its favor. The handheld, action-cam style gives it a gritty, immersive feel without being distracting. The story is fine; nothing groundbreaking, but it holds your attention, and the ending ties it all together nicely. The cast delivers solid performances, and the locations are visually interesting. But the real standout is the soundtrack. Seriously impressive work by Paul Leonard-Morgan. It's layered, tense, and adds so much atmosphere. Overall, it's a decent watch with just enough mood and momentum to make it worthwhile.

After her mother's funeral. Maya (Phoebe Dynevor) gets a chance to connect with her estranged father Sam (Rhys Ifans.)

He offers to take her to Egypt where he claims to work in real estate. Even asking Maya to get a job to entice people to launder money in property.

However Sam disappears and is later contacted by people who claim to have abducted him.

They want Maya to retrieve a hard disk from a safe deposit box in India.

It leads her to question just who her father is. He had a false passport, previously worked in espionage and Interpol are also after him.

Directed by Neil Burger on an Iphone. This is a guerilla thriller shot in Egypt, India and South Korea without permits. Some task in India as the cops like to have their backhanders even if you have all the proper paperwork.

Once the post production grading is done, the film looks quite good. Although it could be better lit.

The story is hackneyed. You sense Maya is being used by her father. The international locales add to the movie.

Using only iPhones for filming definitely gives this project a unique flavour, a distinctive identity, especially from a filmmaking perspective.

All the events come across as raw, the moments feel unfiltered, making scenes resemble more of a vlog you would find on someone's YouTube channel rather than a traditional movie meant for theaters and home entertainment.

However, it falls short in all other facets.

There's lack of real tension, screenplay is pretty bland, and it misses that sense of stakes and intensity. Plus, I just didn't feel invested in the characters or the journeys they had to take.