Sharp Corner

This movie demands your patience and attention span. But the story is most effective in this way.

First off, the acting is excellent, and Ben Foster is captivating. I sensed what may happen, but his character adapted and changed his MO a few times.

This is about an unsung hero, who goes through crisis after crisis, but insists on solving the problem himself. Cobie Smuldrrs is excellent as well, and works well in her hyper-organized, perfectionist character.

The tension builds as Foster's character realizes his true calling. Consumed with a new occupation, battling mortal danger, he seeks to fight it head on.

This film is excellent with a plaintive soundtrack, well-rounded characters; and a narrative which belies exposition and resorts to thoughtful yet misguided strategies.

This is a very worthwhile film, but it requires your attention and curiosity.

Greetings again from the darkness. Purchasing a home is often called 'The American Dream.' For Josh and Rachel, it's even more special when their son, 6-year-old Max, refers to their new place as "a mansion". Sometimes (especially in movies) dreams turn into nightmares, and that's exactly what happens in this film from writer-director Jason Buxton (his first feature since his debut BLACKBIRD, 2012). Adapted from the short story by Russell Wangersky, this film is billed as a psychological thriller - which it is, yet it's also an enigmatic character study.

Ben Foster (HELL OR HIGH WATER, 2018) plays Josh. Only this isn't the Ben Foster we've come to expect. His usual high-intensity and simmering danger-on-edge is replaced by a mild-mannered man who is even a bit meek whether dealing with his wife or the new manager he once trained at work. Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill in the Marvel Universe) plays his wife Rachel, and their first night in the new house leads to one of the worst cases of coitus-interruptus in history. A car tire comes flying through the living room window just after the loud crash of a car hitting the tree in their front yard. The horrific wreck leaves a young man dead, and the family stunned.

As you might have guessed from the film's title, their new home is located on a dangerous curve. The only warning sign for drivers is mostly blocked by overgrown vegetation. Josh's reaction to the wreck amplifies his struggles at work, while also creating tension with Rachel. He wants to talk about it, and she wants to ignore it. A second wreck has Josh trying to comfort the driver. The wreck convinces Rachel it's time to move, while it simultaneously convinces Josh he could have saved the man's life. Clandestine CPR lessons follow, while family therapy exposes all we need to know.

Rather than a curve, Josh and Rachel come to a fork in the road ... and take different paths. While Josh becomes obsessed with waiting for the next wreck so he can save a life. Rachel simply wants to protect herself and her son, and avoid the obsessed Josh. He's a man who desperately wants to be a savior to strangers, when the best thing he could be is a father/husband. Foster's performance is unlike anything we have seen from him, and it can't help but make us feel uneasy. Director Buxton gives us an early sneak peek at the curve, but mostly we are confused as to why a speed bump or protective/reflective barrier hasn't been installed. Sometimes a movie leaves us feeling like it should have been more interesting, more entertaining, ... more something ... than it was. Foster keeps us watching, yet the whole thing feels a bit hollow.

Opens in select theaters and VOD on May 9, 2025.

It's probably a bit of a stretch to even rate this at 5 stars, just as it's a stretch to label this a thriller. More a drama about a man who seems to become obsessed with life, death and playing God, it's extremely well acted by Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders but good luck finding a character to feel sympathy for when both leads are written as fairly unlikeable. While I had some sympathy for Ben's character at the beginning eventually it eroded. Cobie, as his wife, is written as being a bit too hard and harsh to feel any empathy for. So you end up sitting and watching a movie in which you just kind of dislike the people on screen. I found the ending disappointing and am not sure what the writers were trying to say. It's definitely an interesting watch but nothing to watch a second time. Ben Foster is such a great actor, it's a shame no one seems to be writing great films anymore.

Dramatic thriller "Sharp Corner" charts the descent of average family guy Ben Foster (fine actor) from hating his job, thru leaning on booze, to sheer insanity via the titular accident blackspot outside the new home he's bought with wife Cobie Smulders and their young son. As cars repeatedly crash, and folk die, on his front yard, Foster becomes obsessed with the victims and on prepping to 'help' future ones, rather than preventing them and/or addressing his family's trauma. Writer / director Jason Buxton's second film is original, clever, well performed - tho also slow & implausible at times, with an ending that'll irk some. That said, generally, it's a good film.

If you're looking for horror, explosions, death, car chases or other violence this isn't for you. This is a movie that requires your full attention and apsorption. If you're patient enough, and can stand long moments without sounds or flashing lights, you'll be rewarded with Ben Foster at his absolute finest. And choosing to bounce his crazed character off of the sorely-underappreciated Cobie Smulders' in the role of his baffled and frustrated wife was genius casting. She takes a script that could've been cookie-cluttered and, through lots of "face acting" (saying a lot but without words - which I love to watch good actors do) she turns it into my favorite character in the movie.

The rest of the supporting cast are impressive and believable but names I've never heard of. Probably all Canadians, given the filming location. Speaking of the location, IMDb doesn't have it listed quite right. The actual, almost 90° corner is where River Road and Terence Bay Trail intersect north of the IMDb-listed address. The house used in the movie was specifically built for the film on the southeast corner. It's even currently viewable on Google Maps. Regardless, the location and the way it was captured by the cinematographer perfectly captures the haunting spiral of Ben's character. The direction is moody and clever in its use of its angles, lighting, and framing.

Fair warning: the movie is slow. But it's supposed to be. Viewers expecting (needing?) constant attention and action will be disappointed. This is for lovers of psychological thrillers but without the usual bloodfest type of "thrills". This is a step-by-step trip into the declining brain of a delusional man. We're never really told how this psychosis might've manifested itself in the character (and I suppose it's not really necessary that we do know), but Ben Foster completely absorbs the role. It's been a long time since I've watched an actor take a character and flesh it out this much. Some of his scenes should be shown in college acting classes. 7 from me, but without Ben it might've been a 5 or 6.