Co-writer and director Sam Esmail (Comet) helms this thriller about a cyberattack. The story focuses on the Sandfords—mom Amanda (Julia Roberts), dad Clay (Ethan Hawke), and kids Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans)—whose vacation at a luxurious rental home goes from idyllic to ominous when their devices suddenly stop working. Then, in the middle of the night, two strangers show up at their door—G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la)—who claim there’s a blackout in New York City, they own vacation home, and they need to stay the night. (102 min.)
Glen This fun little thriller imagines what might happen if our technology-driven world suddenly stopped working. Daughter Rose, who’s been binging Friends, is desperate to watch the final episode, but her device isn’t working. Dad Clay wants to drive into town to learn what’s happening, but without his GPS, he gets lost. Their only clues are a few news alerts on Amanda’s phone about hackers. Are they in danger? Will everything go back to normal? Is this the beginning of the end? They watch an oil tanker beach itself. G.H. discovers an airplane crash site. Animals are behaving weirdly. The story has the hallmarks of an M. Night Shyamalan film, but there’s nothing supernatural going on here. This seems to be a human-made disaster. With a terrific cast and this character-driven story, it’s about forming relationships and what people are willing to do to survive.
Anna The film starts with the family in New York and Julia Roberts’ character, Amanda, proclaiming her disdain for humankind and packing up her family for a beach vacation. The rental house they pull up to is beautiful and serene, a perfect getaway. Amanda is less than pleased when G.H. and Ruth show up; she has no interest in sharing the house with them, even though they claim to be the owners. She’s more than rude to the pair and doesn’t at first believe there’s anything beyond a simple blackout going on in the city. Things start getting weird and unsettling, from deer congregating in the backyard to a hysterical woman on the side of the road, and the group soon begrudgingly arrives at the conclusion that what G.H. and Ruth are saying very well could be true. It is a very interpersonal film, exploring the ties that bind and unravel in crisis and what it looks like for total strangers to be thrown into each other’s lives. The casting here is outstanding. Netflix is flexing its muscles with this group of big names. It isn’t a scary movie, but it is very adept at making the audience sit in discomfort.
Glen G.H., who works in finance, clearly knows more about what’s going on than he’s at first willing to share, but as he and Amanda begin to warm up to one another, more information emerges, and instead of a temporary tech blip, something more sinister may be in the offing. I think what makes the film resonate is its plausibility. We’re too reliant on technology, and we’re too complacent, taking for granted that our electronic house of cards won’t come crashing down on us. At one point, looking for medicine, they visit the house of local contractor and survivalist, Danny (Kevin Bacon), who directs them off his property with the barrel of a gun. Our social contract in America feels very frayed these days, and this film seems to capture our uncertainty-fueled zeitgeist.
Anna The film doesn’t aim to settle things for the audience. Instead, I was left with a vague sense of doom and no idea what’s to come for this group. For a film that’s supposed to feel uneasy, it’s the perfect way to leave things—like these characters, I felt adrift and unsure. It’s clever filmmaking to the end. Δ
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Last-Minute Gift Guide 2023.