DVD Review: Still

STUDIO: Film Movement | DIRECTOR: Simon Blake | CAST: Aidan Gillen, Joseph Duffy, Sonny Green, Elodie Yung, Jonathan Slinger
RELEASE DATE: 6/30/15 | PRICE:DVD $24.95
BONUSES:
SPECS: NR | 103 min. | Thriller |2.35:1 widescreen | stereo

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie  | Audio  | Video | Overall 1/2

The “slow burn” is a movie staple in films, a technique that can effectively build tension and suspense. But if the burn is too slow, a film can become…Still.

Aidan Gillen and Elodie Yung in Still.

Aidan Gillen (HBO’s Game of Thrones) is Tom Carver, a talented photographer who is mourning the loss of his teenage son who was killed in a car accident. Divorced from his wife, Carver stifles his emotional angst with drugs and alcohol. After a seemingly harmless encounter with a neighborhood kid, he finds himself involved in a senseless feud with a teenage gang that quickly intensifies to disturbing heights.

First time director Simon Blake, who also wrote the screenplay, shows promise by layering a rich noir atmosphere across the North London setting.  However, many of his camera set-ups and framing call too much attention to themselves and while they’re meant to be artistic, they just come off as distracting. Additionally, the relationships between characters lack depth and motivation, especially when it comes to the teens who are harassing him, so when the film culminates with a twist that is meant to be shocking, it is gravely unearned.

The bright spot in this uneven British thriller is the terrifically versatile, always-fine Gillen. His portrayal of a man being consumed with grief is haunting and you can tell he is pouring everything he can into the role. Unfortunately, even his stellar talent cannot make up for the film’s muddled plot and hollow characters.

The bonus features include interviews with Gillen and Blake along with deleted scenes.

Buy or Rent Still
DVD