REVIEW: ‘Don’t Move’ Creates A Unique And Thrilling Narrative

In the thriller Don’t Move, directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler and written by T.J. Cimfel (V/H/S Viral) and David White, Iris (Kelsey Asbille) wakes up at the start of the film ready to die. Done managing the grief she carries, Iris goes up to a mountaintop with plans to take an alternative route back down. But as she stands on the precipice, she meets Richard (Finn Wittrock, Luckiest Girl Alive)—a seemingly kindred spirit touched by loss whose words convince her to take the long way back down. But when she gets to the bottom, she discovers Richard is a serial killer with a far worse fate planned for her.

There is nothing more terrifying for many than to be made helpless. To have the thin veneer of control over our lives completely pulled away and be left to someone else’s whims. To be restrained or blindfolded is enough to send shivers down many spines. But what if it was taken even further? What if you couldn’t move at all? What if the use of virtually every voluntary muscle in your body was deprived of you? And worse, what if someone did it on purpose?

From the moment Iris discovers she’s been poisoned to the closing credits, Don’t Move takes what seems like an extremely restraining concept and utilizes it to tell a tension-filled story. The plot twists as Iris does all she can with minimal options to get help or escape her captor, which is an impressive display of creative writing. As her muscles rapidly fade and slowly return, the means at Iris’s disposal generally feel consistent throughout the movie.

One decision that helps Don’t Move retain its creativity is its brisk runtime. Clocking in at barely over one and a half hours, the film manages to fill the time wonderfully while never feeling overdone. As Iris is first succumbing to the drug, Richard even tells her it will last for roughly an hour, which is about what’s left of the film by the time she loses her last embers of control. This makes her revival feel perfectly paced.

While excellently crafted scenarios are important for a thriller of this type, how the lead sells the reality and terror of their predicament is even more critical. Iris makes for a fantastic character to route for. From the moment viewers discover the grief she carries, Iris is a sympathetic character. On top of this, viewers discover the resiliency she manages to muster as she flees from Richard, hoping to escape before the poison works its unfortunate magic on her. This resiliency is even more striking, given the condition in which the audience first finds Iris.

Once the poison takes its course, Asbille does a tremendous job conveying her character’s fears and pain despite having incredibly limited resources to work with. The eyes are the windows of the soul, and Asbille manages to show the audience a lot with just those alone.

Providing just as strong a performance opposite Asbille is Wittrock’s delivery of the emotionally manipulative sociopath Richard. His ability to switch from a murderous killer to a sobbing husband searching for his missing wife when he needs to fool people is thoroughly convincing. How he manipulates others with his words is terrifyingly realistic.

While Don’t Move focuses primarily on its two leads, a handful of others intersect with the duo throughout their unique game of cat and mouse. These side characters deliver solid, believable performances as they mark the tale’s path.

Don’t Move also crafts some striking moments through the skillful use of silence. While appropriately tense music plays for most of the film, the movie picks out a couple of key moments to dial it all back and let the silence reign.

Don’t Move delivers on everything it sets out to. It crafts a unique scenario that it fluidly utilizes to create tension through unique moments. Its cast does a great job of further building up the danger and distress of the film thanks to well-executed performances. Coupled with a runtime that keeps the concept from wearing thin, you have a thoroughly entertaining film.

Don’t Move is streaming now on Netflix.