You’ll Never Find Me (2023) - Movie Review
What if I told you there was a single location thriller set in an old trailer, starring nobody you’ve ever heard of, that runs an hour and forty minutes, and literally nothing happens?
Hold up, come back.
What if I told you it was one of the best thrillers I’ve seen this year?
Let’s discuss.
You’ll Never Find Me is a 2023 psychological thriller brought to us by writer / director Indianna Bell and director Josiah Allen. Don’t worry, you shouldn’t recognize those names. Not unless you happen to be a hardcore follower of the Aussie independent youth film scene. What’s important is that I’m sure you’ll see those names again and again in the future, because there’s undeniable shine here.
The movie focuses on Patrick, an isolated man riding out a violent storm inside his mobile home and the visitor who arrives that night. Who is she? Where did she come from? The only sure thing is that she’s not going anywhere soon with the storm winds intensifying. What follows is a war of words, a chess game between two strangers oddly familiar with one another. Each move brings them closer to the truth, but will it set them free or drag them down into oblivion? Find out in tonight’s feature, You’ll Never Find Me.
I went into this movie blind. I didn’t even watch the trailer. I’d seen the fantastic poster art on Shudder’s Instagram posts, but outside of that I wasn’t sure what to expect. It turned out to be a great decision.
Even if I figured out the mystery within the first ten minutes of the runtime.
Predictability can be a negative, but it wasn’t in this case.
The overall quality of the filmmaking at play here made up for the ruined surprise.
The cinematography and editing are a star unto themselves as the crux of the tension in the film is built with moments with no dialogue. The sound design and score make lend a depth to the atmosphere most small scale productions overlook. The combination of these factors lends an eerie feeling to every word spoken and every action taken. You don’t know who you’re supposed to root for, or against.
It’s an interesting, intellectual tug-of-war as a viewer. All of us have our own bias and world view, and we all have an internal radar that pings when we meet someone. This sixth sense pings whether we like it or not, and it’s not always reliable, but that’s the game. Will you emotionally invest in Patrick, the sad, lonely widower desperately attempting to be a good samaritan? Or will you throw your lot in with the brash visitor whose intents are as mysterious as her origin?
And while yes, nothing really happens for a good amount of the runtime and the burn gets just to the edge of slowness—it pays off in the end.
There are only two main players in the film, which increases the tension naturally as if something happens to one—it’s obviously the other. Which wouldn’t work if the actors weren’t phenomenal. Good thing Brendan Rock and Jordan Cowan knock their roles out of the park. Both are relatively unknowns, with the largest credit to either of their names being Cowan’s turn as an extra in 2013’s Wolf Creek 2. Toss that aside, as these two work their asses off and their chemistry is off the charts. To be fair, they have previous experience with one another, as they starred together in Bell and Allen’s previous 2020 short film, The Recordist, but either way their work was impeccable here.
Rock’s performance is the rock the movie is based on. The methodical way he does everything with a quiet, practiced precision is so well carried. It all seems natural, other than how calm he is about a strange woman pounding on his door at 3AM. He’s so damn good here, and I’m shocked I haven’t seen him in more roles.
Cowan is stunning in every sense of the word. She doesn’t get to hide behind well manicured hair or makeup. She is sopping wet for most of this movie and yet, she holds your eye. She has her own brash intensity that boils over more often than not, but she keeps it between fear and anger, making it hard to really discern her true motives.
Together, they play a game of cat and mouse, each taking their turn wearing the claws.
This isn’t a gorefest, it’s not a sleezefest, and it’s not a non-stop adrenaline fueled thrill-ride.
It’s a thoughtful study of human nature told through a blood soaked lens
You’ve got to check this out, streaming exclusively on SHUDDER.