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Fifteen minutes into Sympathy
and suddenly a profound sense of chlosterphobia had
begun to settle in. Feelings of being trapped,
encapsulated in this constantly tightening hotel room
filled with anger and hostility started brewing. I loved
it.
But first we need to backtrack and
introduce the three sole characters of this little chunk
of cinema gold. Into the four-walled restraint
walks Trip (Steven Pritchard), with his uncooperative
and feisty hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen). Unwillingly,
Sara gets shackled to the bed and now the questioning
within yourself begins. Did Trip kidnap her? Is Sara his
hostage? Would she escape? Who is this skinny punk Trip
and what does he want with the innocent-looking Sara?
How and why did they end up in a beat-up and run down
hotel room? This internal head game causing
bone-cracking frustration and puzzlement keeps you on
the edge of your seat.
By the time escaped convict Dennis (Aaron Boucher)
popped on screen, Sympathy was beginning to
display SAW-like elements. Three people
in a limited amount of unmoving space makes for an
unnerving experience. I was lost in an abyss of
uncertainty yet I was being deeply entertained thanks to
the direction of Andrew Moorman. His amazing realization
that audio really does make up 50% of a movie was spot
on. Silence would arise suddenly, as if your headphones
were ripped right out of your iPod to enhance feelings
of shock and fear. Or the camera would abruptly cut to a
rusty old light while a powerful jolt from your speakers
would emanate as the broken down bulb flashed on to
magnify future intensity of a scene.
At times the movie felt a bit
stagnant, where I just wanted something to happen.
However, what adds to Sympathy being a superb
flick is the final ten minutes. Although the
conclusion is stuffed with twists and turns, it still
manages to make sense of every event that took place
prior. Sympathy will fill the
gaping hole that's been created by many of the recent
Hollywood duds.
You'll get slapped in the face
with some mild cannibalism, spiny blade stabbings,
and some close-range gunshots.
Crank up your Dolby Digital receiver
to max and enjoy the chaotic bliss that is the film's
audio score. A heavy dose of ear-piercing noise and
sound effects really make Sympathy rise to the
top.
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