Serving as a fresh addition to Australia’s recent run of twisted genre-flicks in the vein of Late Night with The Devil, Birdeater, and Talk to Me, John Balazs’ Freelance takes the horror into the digital world. Following Katie (Nicole Pastor), a down-on-her-luck freelance video editor who takes on an incredibly well-paying job editing what she initially believes to be low-budget, incredibly disturbing, student horror films.
The poor framing, scratchy sound design, and crappy production quality of the videos don’t deter Katie initially as the cash that’s on offer to cut together these short films is too good to pass up. But, as the content in the films beings to ramp up in their disturbing intensity and bloodied violence, Katie begins to experience haunting visions of the people featured in the videos, leading her down an investigative route to discover whether the videos are real-life snuff films.
Utilising the digital aspects of the world that Freelance is set in incredibly well (including a very cool David Fincheresque opening title sequence), John Balazs understanding of the intricacies of video editing and computer software makes for a very visceral, immersive, and authentic experience. The neon-lit living room, brightened by Katie’s computer screen creates a trance-like feeling as the story of Freelance pulls you in, much like the films that Katie is editing entice her to dive further and further.
When it comes to tension, Balazs also shines with fantastic use of in-camera tricks and blocking to create some truly creepy set pieces. Unexpectedly, and in a positive way, Freelance’s horror-leaning tendencies lead to some decent jump scares that very naturally suit the film’s vibe and move the film past being an investigative thriller. It’s in these moments where the exhaustively terrified but willingly curious performance by Nicole Pastor grips the spectator.
Pastor is undoubtedly the anchor of Freelance, featuring in almost every frame of the 110-minute film. There are so many plates balanced by Pastor. Katie not only deals with the horrors unfolding on her computer screen, but also the pressures of struggling financially, the desire to continue pushing forward in her career with more meaningful work, and the internal battle of her own emotional vulnerability in her dating life. Katie is a substantial character, and Pastor really takes charge in making it her own in an authentic manner.
At 110 minutes, there are moments in Freelance’s first act that do feel slightly repetitive. Mike Gerbino’s script sets up all the aspects of Katie’s character along with the story and then doubles down a little too much on making sure the audience has all the pieces of the start of the puzzle, rather than letting them catch on to this as they naturally progress. While these moments occasionally slow the film’s pacing down, they are intercut with some of those great moments of tension, but it is the film’s second half where it finds its footing and throttles to a thrilling finale.
Freelance is an electrifying low-budget indie feature that makes the most of its locations, actors, and the ‘screen life’ aspect of the mystery/horror. Think of it as Australia’s contemporary answer to Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor via Alejandro Amenabar’s 1996 Spanish shocker Thesis.
Freelance is available on VOD in Australia and the US from January 28.
