Restless: Noisy neighbours, they might just be an irritant or they might turn your life into a Hell on Earth. It's the second variety which steers this psychological thriller into the slipstream of Horror. From the opening scenes it becomes clear that care worker Nicky (Lyndsey Marshal) has been driven to violence. But then things roll back to a week earlier. Nicky is already stressed, her care home is understaffed and she has to fight to get her days off, she lives alone next door to the house where her parents lived, both are now dead. She's lonely relying on phone calls and her cat along with her beloved classical music for company. The adjoining house has just been sold and new neighbours arrive, very noisy neighbours. Trying to reason with them is fruitless, they party into the small hours every night. The police and local council are of no help. Nicky's lack of sleep results in a deterioration in her health and she strikes back at the chavs, things escalate. Most of the horror here is of the quotidian type but their accumulated effect is literally life changing, resulting in extreme actions by someone who won't just be a victim. There are moments of black humour, Nicky gives the main thug, Deano (Aston McAuley) a tainted cake as a supposed gesture of reconciliation. Her relationship with Kev (Barr Ward), is distinctly odd, as is he. He works as a traffic warden, he makes his interest in her clear but then gives her a parking ticket, later buying her a violin because she likes classical music. Some other funny scenes cannot be referenced here without spoiling the movie for you. Convincing performances from McAuley, Ward, Marshal and Denzel Baidoo as Clarkey, another thug. Directed and Written by Jed Hart, in his feature directorial debut. 8/10.
