James Ashcroft’s feature directorial debut wastes no time at all cutting right to the dark heart of his grim, jaw-dropping morality thriller. Just enough time is given to establish key protagonists before they’re plummeting into a pitch-black evening full of unspeakable horrors. Whether there’s enough story to fill out an entire feature is a different story, but Coming Home in the Dark succeeds in sheer intensity and extremism to make it worth the journey.
A husband (Erik Thomson) and wife (Miriama McDowell), and their two sons, are on a road trip together in scenic New Zealand. There are minor, mundane issues like choosing the right snacks at a gas station stop or triggering speed traps, but they’re presented as a happy bunch. A family hike changes everything, however, when they encounter a pair of bloodthirsty psychopaths. At first, it seems they’ve run into the vicious drifters, Mandrake (Daniel Gillies) and Tubs (Matthias Luafutu), by pure happenstance. As a night of terror unfolds, it becomes clear that it might be tied to the husband’s past as a school teacher.
The first thirty minutes establishes Mandrake and Tubs as vicious killers, murdering without remorse most abruptly and shockingly. Yet, there’s an obvious method to their madness that doesn’t reveal itself straight away. That’s where the actual journey begins. What’s clear right off the bat, though, is that Ashcroft intends to sucker punch you at every opportunity with nihilistic intensity.
Based on a short story of the same name by Owen Marshall, Coming Home in the Dark was co-written by Ashcroft and Eli Kent. Much of it takes place within a vehicle, traversing winding roads under night’s cover. That means that most of the narrative is reliant upon dialogue to unfurl the mysteries. Ashcroft keeps it visually engaging with a strong sense of direction, bolstered by vivid cinematography by Matt Henley. It may not be a comfortable watch, but it’s stunning nonetheless. The way the director stages scenes for maximum emotional impact is nothing short of impressive. One pivotal scene features an off-screen character confessing an awful sin while the camera focuses on Gillies’ face. His subtle yet powerful shifts in expression are a testament to both the actor’s performance as well as Ashcroft’s direction.
This thriller is a game of trickle truths, one centered around the moral quandary of the extent to which silence equals complicity. It’s a powerful theme made all the more visceral by sudden bursts of shocking violence that punctuate the quiet rage. But beyond that core theme, there’s not much else to the plot. It’s a minimalist story that sags in energy as it waits for the next big set-piece moment to arrive. It probably doesn’t help that there are more than a couple of points where characters could make smarter choices but don’t.
By the end, there are a few open-ended questions that’ll never resolve. At a certain point, the built-up momentum declines at a steady rate, never entirely living up to that exhilarating, brutal first act. Harsh reveals and truths don’t equate to depth, either, even if they suck the wind out of you. Still, it’s so well-acted and meticulously crafted with care that it leaves a mark anyway. Coming Home in the Dark is simplistic, and its payoff unsatisfying in many ways. Still, it zips along with a commendable pace, punctuated by such ruthless violence that it’ll leave you gasping more than once.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3650328/sundance-review-coming-home-dark-nihilistic-morality-thriller/
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