Beneath Us (2020): Review by @Kush_Hayes
I wish there was more press material for Max Pachman and Vital Pictures debut feature film, Beheath Us which was released today in a select number of theaters. A submission to the 2019 Phoenix Film Festival and most likely picked up by Jay Hernandez company I leave with a few questions Im not sure the film had intended for me to ask. Its even fair to say they may be completely trivial.
We meet Memo, played by Josue Aguirre, and he starts the movie being transported in what is clearly a trunk. At first you think this is a clip from later in the film establishing what we might be in store for. Nope. We are witnessing Memos journey crossing the border from Mexico in the United States to where he immediately concussed from the car hitting a bump forcing Memo to bang his head on the frame of the trunk. Its an effective opening as this is quite a horrible idea for anyone to experience and yet while not obvious of being what it is, it adds an extra dimension of horror to his story realizing he willingly subjected himself to these accommodations to get into the US.
Memo makes his way through what I believe is Los Angeles and reunites from his brother, Alejandro who is pleased, but confused to be unexpectedly seeing his brother at his flop house where its probably unknown even to himself how many people are actually living at that address. Alejandro illegally crossed the border some time earlier leaving behind his wife and child so he could collect enough money for them to be brought over as well and is currently a day laborer and fighting for every job he can get his hands on. Alejandro is played by Rigo Sanchez who portrays him with a sense of honor and pride as even in frustration he tries to look out for his brother and protect him how the only way he knows how, which isnt always whats best in the situation we find our protagonists in later.
Alejandro brings Memo onto the corner with him and they play the waiting game and the first day isnt a good one at all. Its on day two that we meet two other guys, Tonio and Hector. The four are hired in the parking lot of a Home Depot to help work and unbeknownst to them, things will begin to go downhill from there. What I thought was weird about this was no rate or parameters of time were established before folks just pile in the car. But we got to get our movie going. And at first things seem normal, the guys have a rate they feel good about and the boss is even giving them beer while theyre on the clock. But then the day gets later and later and then we get into night. And then things get hostile to the point where our protagonists are overworked, injured and even degraded and humiliated.
The people our protagonists are working for, The Rhodes are played by James Tupper and Lynn Collins. Collins overpowers every scene shes in and cant help herself from chewing on the scenery as well as playing to the top row of the O2 Arena. Theres a lot of time when shes the best part of the film and then theres time where you need someone else in the film to act. Im happy to say the latter is few and far between. This has the earmarks for what I think should have been a Tales from the Crypt episode. The first hour of this film fits that thought perfectly and then we still have thirty minutes to go. Its still well paced but feels sloppy in parts including the limited torture porn we are subjected to. Its fair to compare this to Jordan Peeles Get Out, but is different enough in that there isnt a whole conspiracy going on in the film, its just two homicidal sociopathic white collar house flippers.
photos courtesy of Vital Pictures
This is a solid little debut film for both director and distributor and while I look forward to the next project each of them produce, however this movie could have been stronger.
Three out of Five Blueberries.
Rated R for violence, language and some nudity
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