Faults (2014) - Movie Review
What do you get when you take a brilliant script that reads as an un-shootable film and then you mix in a who’s who of “that guy/gal” character actors?
One of the best films I’ve ever seen.
Let’s Discuss…
Faults is a 2014 Dark Comedy / Thriller brought to us by writer / director Riley Stearns. If you don’t know that name, you should look it up. Stearns is a visionary writer, who has given us fantastic films like Dual and The Art of Self-Defense. Much like those films, Faults breaks the mold of what film is expected to be.
AKA…
It’s a mindfuck.
(Pardon my French)
The film centers on failed Cult Deprogrammer / Television Host Ansel Roth (Leland Orser) as he spirals the drain. His life ruined by the crushing guilt of missteps of his past, he utilized the services of his agent / loanshark Terry to attempt to put out another book to save his career. Unfortunately, when it fails and Leland goes on the run, Terry isn’t forgiving. On the run and with few options Ansel receives a desperate request from the parents of a cult inductee. They want Ansel to save their daughter and they’re willing to clear his debts, but only when their daughter is fixed. With time growing short and a kidnapped girl in the room next door, will Leland be able to get through her programming or will he break under the pressure of the truths she has to tell?
Let me get my hyperbole out of the way now. This is a MUST WATCH film. The script is incredible, the acting is above anything you’ll see in a major Hollywood movie this year, and the cinematography / sound design is some of the best you’ll see in an independent film. What’s amazing is that in place of Hollywood’s crutch CGI, the filmmakers use old school tricks that give the film an ageless appeal. This is a masterclass in low budget cinema.
It figures that the film was produced by the creators of You’re Next. Which is probably the best dark comedy horror thriller in recent memory alongside The Babysitter and Ready or Not.
Every actor in this movie is top notch, but the leads rise above.
Leland Orser is a living legend. He’s a modern day Dick Miller. You may have seen him in films such as Se7en, Taken, and the brilliant Devil’s Candy. He has played the sniveling victim, the vicious villain, and the loving parent. He’s a chameleon in human flesh and in this film he plays multiple characters. Not in an overt James-Mcavoy-Split way, but in that he is a character on the brink of a nervous breakdown. He is the brave man he was before, the wretch he currently is, and then something else bubbling beneath the surface.
And then there’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who might be the most underrated actress working today. She’s been a supervillain in the awesome Sky High, she’s been the hostage in 10 Cloverfield Lane, and she’s been everyone’s manic-pixie-dream-girl in Scott Pilgrim Versus the World. In this film, she’s all of the above. Her performance anchors the film. She is the mystery to be solved and her understated beauty belies the reality of what’s under the skin. If you didn’t know though, her greatest strength is her vocal delivery. Her voice is like velvet honey. It’s a hypnotic tone that I would love to have be the voice of the audiobook for my novel Eden. She is extraordinary, but to say anything further might spoil the film.
Which brings me to the point that I won’t be doing a spoiler portion for this film. At least not yet. I know the film’s been out for a few years, but I don’t think enough people have seen it.
Please support this movie.
It’s currently available on Amazon Prime Video.
