A loud thumping breaks through the sound of the relenting thunderstorm that has descended upon gruff loner Patrick’s (Brendan Rock) mobile home. It’s past midnight the night in the back corner of a caravan park and no one should be out in this weather. Reluctantly he opens the door to find a young woman (Jordan Cowan), soaked and in need of shelter from the lashings of the storm. Patrick invites her in, offering her dry clothes and food, but the two begin to suspect the motives of each other, thus beginning a strange and tense game of cat and mouse where the power dynamics continuously change, leaving us questioning who each character is behind their softly spoken words and seemingly innocent actions.
You’ll Never Find Me seems like a simple idea: two characters trapped in a single location. Questions begin to be raised as we get to know these characters through deftly delivered monologues as well as during quiet solo moments all within the confines or this three-room trailer. Conversations between the pair seem to hide their true motives making you constantly ask questions of yourself. It is these moments that subtle inconsistencies arise, minor insinuations turn into flat out deceit slowly building tension until neither can take it anymore.
Writer-Director Indianna Bell and co-director Josiah Allen have in their feature film directorial debut created a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. Bells tightly plotted script may have fallen flat in the hands of someone without intimate knowledge of the characters and scenario. The directors do an amazing job using long lingering shots of otherwise innate moments, punctuating strange comments coupled with practical light and sound effects to create an atmosphere able to keep you constantly guessing till the final moments.
A brilliantly written and directed script is only as good as the actors delivering it. Brenan Rocks portrayal of Patrick is highlighted in his growling delivery of every line. He gives us a broken man that we can feel sorry for with an underlying unease through hard to read facial expressions and an almost unemotional acceptance of this stranger appearing at his door. While across from him Jordan Cowan constantly left me questioning her motives switching from prey to predator seamlessly and back again in such a subtle way, I wasn’t even sure it was happening.
While usually not a fan of Aussie cinema, unpatriotic I know, You’ll Never Find Me hooked me early on with its sound design forcing me to find a way to experience it with my surround sound system cranked. In the background throughout the storm rages outside, never relenting making the trailer groan and creak as though some unseen force is trying to get inside. A radio crackles yet is unintelligible and moments of dialogue are muffled though being spoken through a veil. Couple this with an ominous score the sound design heaps on the tension throughout.
These elements together combine to produce a genuinely uneasy and, at times, uncomfortable viewing experience. If I had one criticism it comes with the third act. While a fitting reveal, given the amount of build up experienced it felt a little rushed for the amount that is pushed into the final moments. This is only a minor gripe and barely worth noting as the movie does exactly what it sets out to do. It keeps us engaged and uneasy and forces us to question where the threat is coming from.
You’ll Never Find Me is coming to selected cinemas from March 16th and is due to stream on Shudder from March 22
