Jeri Jacquin
At this years Screamfest, writer and director Olivia West Lloyd along with Last Rodeo Studios comes the story of unraveling SOMEWHERE QUIET.
Meg (Jennifer Kim) is recovering from a horrendous kidnapping that left her with anxiety and fears. Husband Scott (Kentucker Audley) is doing his best to try and bring some solitude and support taking her to a family home that is quiet and soothing.
Enjoying the quiet and time with Scott, that is all interrupted when his cousin Madeline (Marin Ireland) bursts onto the scene. Loud, boisterous and cutting with her words, Meg begins to feel that Scott is spending more time with Madeline and ignoring how it is affecting her. Lashing out in her own way, Meg’s behavior becomes slightly erratic which causes Scott to become unlike himself.
All Meg wants is quiet time with Scott to regather the life she once had, find answers to why it happened to her and remember who is responsible. In the way of it all is not knowing if what she sees and hears is real or a mix up in her mind. However, what is driving it all is more sinister than Meg could ever know!
Kim as Meg is brilliant as a woman who is trying to understand why she was kidnapped and how she is to find a normal life in the aftermath. Watching Kim take this character through every tragic emotion, this is a journey worth taking as the story goes from beginning to end. We are unwittingly invited on Meg’s journey of what is real and what are mixed up thoughts in her mind. Well done!
Audley as Scott is a husband who just doesn’t know how to handle the emotional situation his wife is going through. Trying to be there for her, he consistently tries to help her think through the mix ups Meg is experiencing. Lighting up when his cousin Madeline enters the picture, it is his chance to get away from the troubles in his marriage. Audley also gives us a range of character that has us following along with his part of the story.
Ireland as Madeline comes into the picture and brings laughs, childhood stories and wants to help the couple. Scott is thrilled his cousin is coming around to bring a little fun but Meg sees her as I did – completely irritating and creepy. That being said, I was fascinated with the way she behaves and the sharpness of speech. So well done!
Other cast include Paula Lord as the woman in the woods, and Michael Neeson as Joe.
Last Rodeo Studios is a team of accomplished film producers, writers and entrepreneurs with collective film credits that have been featured in film festivals around the world. These include Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, LAFF, SIFF, Telluride, DOCNYC and DIFF. These films have also been nominated for Golden Globes, BAFTA and Academy Awards. For more please visit www.lastrodeostudios.com.
SOMEWHERE QUIET is a well-written and even more well-filmed thriller. This is my favorite genre of ‘horror’ films because is has more to do with our own fears than blood and gore. Writer/director Lloyd takes the very simple premise and consistently pokes from all sides never letting us once off the hook.
The combination of what is real and what might be imagined had me thinking I needed paper and pen to keep notes! I loved that so much because it challenged what I saw and what I thought I saw within the story and what is presented on film. Keeping the cast small and the sets simple is also another favorite of mine and it lends itself so much to allow the focus to be on Meg.
SOMEWHERE QUIET is a treat and the cast is the one handing out the candy!
In the end – what is real?
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