iamMarkPrice

It has long been the case that Hollywood has yearned to dabble in philosophy as if to prove their intellectualism to us. The reputation of many an writer, actor, director, have fallen to the incessant malaise of vapid pseudo-intellectualism kicking and screaming like a toddler upon a supermarket floor. Hitchcock jokingly called them cattle, and so it is in this context we are introduced to Locked.

Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgard) is a gen z nobody. Inept, devoid of morality and pennyless, Eddie takes the closest thing to work he can. He drives food deliveries in the gig economy. As, owing to the reality gig work isn't a job, Eddie doesn't earn enough money to even keep his aging van in service; he involves himself in crime. Stealing, break ins, car thefts. This is Eddie's MO and it cost him his family. He could just as easily get a real job working retail, gaining skills, but this presumably would leave him facing the ego crushing reality of his actual place in society.

Seeking to score $400, Eddie takes to looking for unlocked cars to break into. In one scene we are supposed to believe he is giving water to a dog, however he poors the water down the inside of the window making it impossible the dog got any. So in reality Eddie is teasing a hot dog and ruining someones car with water damage. Eventually Eddie comes across William's luxury SUV. Great news, William left it unlocked. Bad news, the car has nothing of value inside, I mean other than the entertainment system that he seems incapable of removing making him incompetent even at crime. Bad news again, Eddie can't open the door to get out.

The characters in Locked fail to develop meaningfully beyond this two dimensional characture of groups in society. In broad strokes it would seem William represents the boomers, with his demand for work ethic of the younger crowd, financial resources and callous approach to Eddie's situation pointing back to Eddie's self responsibility. Eddie it would seem represents the zoomers, and potentially younger millennials. These points are painfully illustrated by the sterile, tedious dialogue that drags, on and on, and on. Their discussions hit all the usual zoomer talking points and nothing else happens.

The characters are both paralysed by a story with little to say that others haven't said far more eloquently, and only an end scene to strive for. Owing to this their actions, and arguably the performances themselves, are unsatisfyingly wooden and frustratingly without realism. There is true tedium here, like paying to watch paint dry whilst a muffled, disembodied voice makes sometimes inaudible statements about the nature of what it means to be dry paint. Then, towards the end, there is a scene which can only be a fight between boomers and zoomers, a long desired catharsis for those too lazy to make something of themselves. And then, the end. Nothing lost. Nothing gained. Not for either character, nor the audience. Merely a sequence of things that happen, never with any sense of peril, consequences or care. A genuine irony given how frequently the movie lectures on consequences and accountability. Everyone is the same in this film as when they started.

There are clear technical goofs riddled throughout the film requiring the audience to heavily suspend disbelief. However given the lack of substance to this film there is little idea what would compelling an audience to actually do so. This is a film that feels as those its best form would be as a 15 minute short film, that was stretched superficially to make a feature run time without adding new weight or meaning. There is nothing here to praise. I see no reason for anyone to watch this film, it only offers to steal 95 minutes of your life whislt giving nothing in return much like its protagonist. You have been warned.

The wind whips across desolate snow banks as a lone car meanders along an icy road. Disengaged divorcee Jay (Peter Sarsgaard) is at the wheel, ferrying his daughter Kayla (Joey King) through lonesome scenary to weekend practice for dance class all the while lost in the silence of his own mind. A shape looms on the horizon, a figure which sharpens into Britney (Devery Jacobs), Kaylas best friend waiting at a bus stop in the bitter cold. The car comes to a gentle stop as Jay pulls to the side of the road.

As Britney leaps into the car, a bruise can be seen on her face. Jay stares at the road ahead in auto pilot, disconnected from the drama unfolding in his backseat. But no sooner has he set back on their path are the girls asking to pull over once more. As they burst out of the vehicle and scurry into the woods to relieve themselves, Jay slowly emerges into the crisp, cold air. Steam rises from his breath as he impatiently ponders how long this will take. The minutes tick by, no sight of the girls. The frozen wasteland snaps at his extremities. But as Jay steps off the beaten path in search of the girls, his life will be forever turned upside down.

In the end, this is a story about family. We have all experienced to some extent being taken for granted, and the drifting away from the ones we love that follows. Marriages are tricky at the best of times, but far more so in such an unapologetically cynical and bitter world. Often it's easier to build walls around ourselves to protect us from being hurt, than it is to subject ourselves to the emotional risk posed by those in closest proximity to our hearts. The lie (co-written and directed by Veena Sud) reminds us we must be brave in the face of adversity, whilst working together with those we love to save one another, even if they might let us down.

As Jay and ex-wife Rebecca (Mireille Enos) work together to protect their daughter from danger, they find one another once more. Visuals eloquently portray the shifting emotions of the family through skillful selection of set design, light and colour. Yet inspite of its successes, the attentive viewer cannot help but feel disappointed by a plot which can only be described as immature. If there is a mistake to be made, one can rest assured this family will make it in the most outrageous manner possible. These mistakes serve merely to drive the plot forward with all the subtly of alarm bells at midnight. Yet, in the spirit of suspense, a fuse is lit and tension does build. Only to find itself nowhere, as the familys mistakes culminate in a long foreshadowed twist which robs the film of much of its power leaving the viewer feeling empty.

Individually the cast deliver appropriate scenes filled with raw emotion and cander. Nevertheless, together there is a distinct lack of chemistry which steals away what should be emotive scenes filled with punch. Unhelped by poor pacing as the film glosses over character development felling rushed and leaving scenes often feeling as disconnected as lovers past. There are good bones to this film. One can only wish more time was spent developing the story, its characters and selecting a cast whom feel at home together.