Coming Home In The Dark : Round Table Review
Coming Home In The Dark has already been added to a couple of film festival line-ups around the world, so we thought it would be fun to do a round table review about it. We didn’t want to keep our opinions from you guys. Are you ready? Joining me (Rike) on this one are Norma Jean, Rebecca and Paula. Let’s go.
Coming Home In The Dark: Synopsis
A school teacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters takes him and his family on a nightmare road-trip.
Warning: This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Your opinion about “Coming Home In The Dark” in general?
Ri: I’m not lying when I say that this is and always will be one hell of a masterpiece. You truly can’t get bored watching it. Everyone involved did such a great job in bringing the story to life. Outstanding performances and the music was perfectly fitting. Giving the movie some sort of extra vibe if that’s even possible. I recommend everyone to watch it, if you get the chance to.
N: To begin with I gotta say wow! I was totally blown away by this movie.It had me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. You could literally cut the tension with a knife , I was suffocating in it . All the performances were beautifully done. The scenery was gorgeous. This movie makes you feel all types of emotions . I’ve been waiting for a movie like this for a long long time.
Re: For what can really be described as an independent style film, this is one of the best and most gripping I’ve seen in a long time. A fantastic lead performance from Daniel Gillies really held the film together with the direction ensuring the tension was maintained through every scene.
P: It’s such a masterpiece in every possible way. From the beginning it gets you hooked and in tension, always knowing something will happen but you don’t know what or when. The photography is stunning, and the performances are outstanding. If you don’t know what to watch, grab a friend, some snacks and watch this movie (preferably in the dark). You’ll never get bored watching this movie, and there are some plot twists that will blow your mind.
Was the whole thing planned from Mandrake (Daniel Gillies) and Tubs (Matthias Luafutu) or was it pure coincidence?
Ri: This is still one of the questions I feel like I can’t fully answer. I mean, I kinda feel like Mandrake got his eyes and ears everywhere so he definitely could have figured it out. But would he make such huge efforts then? I’m not quite sure to be honest. Maybe it was some sort of happy coincidence like Mandrake already mentioned in the movie. We saw the other car right at the beginning of the movie. It seemed to be close to the place where they kinda bumped into each other. Maybe they ran out of fuel or something else happened which made them stop and continue on foot. Who knows? But also Mandrake seems to be one of these people who randomly walks into situations like that all the time.
N: Mmmm , well honestly I don’t know. It seems to me that the family really got into the wrong place at the wrong time.
Re: I kinda get the feeling that Mandrake in particular had perhaps been watching the family for a while, and that they followed them on their day-trip. Keeping out of sight until a few moments before we first see them properly. But the truth is, we may never know. That question is very much open to interpretation because of how the film, and how his and Tubs’ appearance in it, like they just ‘came’ across the family was shot and played out.
P: I can’t answer that properly because I’m not 100% sure. I think chances are 50-50. From the beginning we can see Mandrake is a very smart guy, so I doubt it was all a coincidence. Maybe some things were not planned and turned out the way Mandrake wanted to, but I believe Mandrake and Tubs had planned most of it. Besides, -possible spoiler alert-, by the end of the movie we discover what drives Mandrake to kidnap these people and to bring them to that specific abandoned place.
Do you think Hoaggie’s (Erik Thomson) and Jill’s (Miriama McDowell) attempts to escape were genius or completely crude after all?
Ri: I guess you can’t fully say it’s a genius or dumb attempt if you haven’t been in a situation like that. Of course from a viewers perspective sometimes you’re feeling like: I did see this one coming. But if you’re stuck in a situation like that you’re touched in the head. They lost their kids and are probably scared to death now. Of course you’re doing whatever comes to your mind first without actually thinking about it. You just want to get away from these people as far as possible and as soon as possible. Or maybe trying to get attention so that any other person can call for help. So as a conclusion I guess it’s not the right thing to say whether their attempts were genius or crude. They did what they thought would be best to escape.
N: When you are in a situation like Hoaggie’s and Jill’s survival instinct kicks in and you are running on pure adrenaline so pretty much no decision is stupid or genius. I must say without trying not to spoil anything the toilet scene was genius. I personally could never come up with that. Good try Hoaggie good try.
Re: When in a dangerous situation, sometimes people do reckless, dangerous or unthinkable things in order to escape/protect themselves and others. I don’t think, were I in Hoaggie and Jill’s situation, that I’d be able to even think of what to do in order to potentially escape because I’d be freaking out so much, but they certainly tried their best.
P: I think it wouldn’t be fair to judge their attempts to escape so lightly. It isn’t black or white, and some of their attempts were well thought but poorly executed. If I were in that situation, I doubt I could come up with some idea or plan to escape. I also think the fact they didn’t have anything else to lose really helped them and gave them the courage to at least try. So, in conclusion, as a viewer I think some attempts were pretty dumb and others were actually well thought, but we should be in their situation to judge more fairly.
Do you think Jill is still alive after what we’ve seen?
Ri: She actually seemed to be pretty dead for me if I’m being honest. And even if she was able to survive falling into the water from the bridge, I guess the water temperature killed her after some time. At least then she doesn’t have to suffer anymore. First she’s losing her two kids and then she finds out the truth about her husband. Definitely something pretty tough to handle if you ask me. But there’s still some sort of tiny “hope” that someone will find her in time before she’s freezing to death.
N: I can only hope she’s dead and I mean this in the best possible way. If someone murdered my children I would not want to be alive at all .I thought about it and questioned myself like “Wait a minute did she made it ?” Then just pretty much made my mind up cold water and a hard fall ….nope she is dead.
Re: Honestly, no, I don’t. If the fall didn’t kill her, then my guess is the cold temperatures of the river likely will have done. But again, it’s very open to interpretation as we never saw a body or heard anything from or about Jill after that scene.
P: I think the most logical thing to think when we see her falling from the bridge is that she dies. Nevertheless, if I’ve learnt something watching movies and shows is that no one is dead until we actually see the body. So I think it’s a possibility she survived. I don’t think she did because the water must have caused her hypothermia, but if she managed to get out of the river soon enough and someone helped her, she could have survived. The bad part would be knowing her children are dead and that her husband isn’t the person she thought he was.
Your thoughts about the atmosphere and most of the plot happening in the car?
Ri: I do like these kinds of movies if I’m being honest with you. It’s not always about different locations you need to get the perfect vibe. Sometimes keeping it simple is the best solution for a movie. Kinda reminds me of the crime thriller called “The Guilty”. Everything was being filmed in an emergency call centre. However, I guess it’s not easy at all for the actors and actresses to stay in character and maintain the intensity if you’re getting in and out of the car for most of the scenes. Great job!
N: The atmosphere was beyond tense, pins and needles anyone? My highest praise to everyone involved, these actors took their craft to the next level, I was so intrigued not knowing what the hell could happen next was killing me. Side note : I’ll never look at a fire extinguisher the same way again …damn Mandrake.
Re: I never thought a car ride could be made to feel so atmospheric as this one was. There was a very claustrophobic type feel to the scenes in the car, as I’m sure was Ashcroft’s idea to add to the tension and uncertainty regarding what was going on and what was going to happen. Overall, given that most of the film takes place in that car, I found the film gave me a very unsettled feeling pretty much from start to finish, and that’s testament to both James and the cast.
P: I haven’t watched too many movies where most of the plot was developed in a car, but I loved how it turned out. They managed to show and portray every emotion and drama the viewer needed to feel only with a car and people talking. I think it gave the plot more realism. Most of the kidnap movies I’ve watched happen in a house or in some building, so watching this kind of plot was something new and I loved how it turned out.
How do you think the story would have changed with the kids still being alive?
Ri: I’m sorry to say this but I think getting rid of them was the best decision in the end. I mean, the car wouldn’t have been big enough for everyone anyways. Without them they were able to fully focus on the main storyline. Maika (Billy Paratene) and Jordan (Frankie Paratene) would have been two more people to worry about. Hoaggie and Jill would have done everything to save them. But in the end I think the kids would have been the last to survive because their parents got the bullets for them or something like that. So, as a result they would have been killed afterwards and Mandrake and Tubs would be on their own again. They probably wouldn’t have been able to even make it “home” before everyone gets shot.
N: Although disturbing to see because it was. I literally screamed bloody murder at 12am that night their demise was a necessity. It would have been way too much trouble for both Mandrake and Tubs to handle. (Too many people to keep your eyes on) As a mother I felt Jill’s pain to the core ,it shook me .For the sake of the storyline it was the right thing to do.
Re: I think the kids being killed ultimately set up much of the tension and terror that was to follow, and therefore, had they lived/been allowed to live then we’d have been watching an entirely different film. The deaths of their kids was a driving reason as to why Hoaggie and Jill went along with Mandrake and Tubs. Killing them proved they weren’t ‘kidding around’ and the story played out as well as it did. By allowing the film to focus on four characters instead of 6, it added to the tension and atmosphere of what was unfolding. It wouldn’t have had the same impact with the kids there.
P: I don’t think the movie would have been so good if the kids had been alive. That would have meant a more complex storyline. Hoaggie and Jill wouldn’t have tried so many things to escape in order to protect their kids. In addition, I don’t think Hoaggie or Jill would have survived if the kids were still alive. They would have done anything to protect their kids. Maybe the movie would have been more boring, so I actually like how they wrote it. It looked realistic and actually touching.
Which character storyline do you think has the best development throughout the movie?
Ri: Definitely Tubs. Still waters run deep, am I right? Love how he went from this little poodle to actually making his own decisions. The end was kinda surprising for me at first, but now I understand that he just wanted to get rid of his “boss” Mandrake who continued keeping him in a cage. Now he’s a free man again and can do whatever he wants to. No ones gonna tell him what to do anymore. He can get as far away from this place as possible. Maybe one day he’ll be able to fully leave the past behind if that’s possible.
N: Tubs hands down, at first I didn’t understand him or actually got why the hell was he even there helping Mandrake. Towards the end I understood and finally got that he was tired of following his friend. He went for his freedom.
Re: As much as I, not liked per se, but was intrigued by Mandrake, I think Tubs’ story and character development was probably the strongest and most highlighted in the film. It comes across that Tubs has been oppressed in some form or another for all of his life. While he doesn’t do anything to stop Mandrake in the beginning, the fact he does so in the end highlights, despite saying very little in the entire film, what it is that HE wants – freedom – and that it seems to dawn on him that Mandrake isn’t and never was his friend. He just saw him as a lackey he could boss around. I felt quite proud watching Tubs stand up to him like he did, and take charge of his life.
P: I have to go with Tubs. He changed a lot from the beginning of the movie and did some things I didn’t expect at all. At first I didn’t understand why he did what he did, because he didn’t seem so happy helping Mandrake. But later I understood he just wanted to be free. He was scared of his buddy, but in the end he got the guts and set himself free.
Your score on “Coming Home In The Dark” (1-10):
Ri: I’ll give this one a well deserved 9.
N: I will give this movie without a question a 10.
Re: It’s not a film I’d really want to watch again, but based purely on the fantastic performances – especially from Daniel Gillies – and Ashcroft’s direction and ability to create a tense, unsettling atmosphere, I’d say 8.5.
P: Definitely a 9,5.
We would like to hear your opinion. Have you seen Coming Home In The Dark yet? Let us know in the comments or via social media, and don’t forget to join us when we will be back reviewing other stuff.
PS: In case you don’t want to miss out on Coming Home In The Dark being added to a festival in your country, check out our article here. This one will be updated as we get more news.
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