Faults (2014)

Faults: Directed by Riley Stearns. With Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Ellis, Jon Gries. A cult deprogrammer must help a couple whose daughter has recently joined a cult.

“u0026quot;Fault is a fracture. Itu0026#39;s a place where pressure builds until it releases.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLeland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star together in this unique dramatic thriller written and directed by Winsteadu0026#39;s husband, Riley Stearns. Faults is his feature debut and after this, there is no doubt heu0026#39;s going to be getting more offers because it is a very inventive drama that feels like no other movie because it changes and morphs as the story progresses. It is hard to classify this film because it doesnu0026#39;t feel like any other movie Iu0026#39;ve seen. Orser plays Ansel Roth, an expert on mind control, but it is clear that his glory days are long behind him. When we are introduced to him heu0026#39;s trying to reuse a coupon for his meal at the hotel where heu0026#39;s giving a speech on his new book about free will. There are very few people who have signed up for his seminar and heu0026#39;s evidently in deep financial trouble. An opportunity for redemption shows up when a couple (played by Chris Ellis and Beth Grant) ask Ansel to help them with their daughter. They say she has changed dramatically after finding a mysterious cult and that they are afraid of losing her. Ansel tells them that he can help but that it is going to cost them. He plans on deprogramming her by kidnapping her and having a five day session with her at an undisclosed location. The girlu0026#39;s name is Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and she claims to be at the happiest point in her life so apparently it wonu0026#39;t be an easy job for Ansel who is going through his personal lowest. What follows is a fascinating psychological control study with touches of dark humor and several twists along the way. The less you know about the film going into it the better off you are. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe production team behind Faults is the same one that brought us last yearu0026#39;s The Guest and the reinvented slasher horror film Youu0026#39;re Next so I was already excited about this film. They present unique projects that at times blend familiar genres or include some sort of surprise element along the way. Faults is a low budget indie film but it never ceases to amaze with a production design that sets the film somewhere around the early 80u0026#39;s although there is no mention of when the story actually takes place. The film is perfectly executed, it has an interesting premise, and the screenplay is beautifully written by Riley Stearns as it transforms along the way. Itu0026#39;s not one of those films that tries to fool the audience and then presents a twist that no matter how many times you go back and rewatch it it simply doesnu0026#39;t make any sense. Faults isnu0026#39;t trying to fool us, instead it is simply telling a story that unfolds in unexpected ways as we reach the climactic finale. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePerhaps what stands out the most in Faults are the two leading performances. Leland Orser delivers the best role of his career and it is great to finally see him in a starring role. His character isnu0026#39;t someone we should really sympathize with considering heu0026#39;s simply miserable from the moment we are introduced to him. Heu0026#39;s such a loser but somehow Orser manages to engage us and we want him to have his shot at redemption. We believe he actually knows his stuff on mind control and free will but life has given him an unexpected blow that he seems to be able to recover from. On the other hand Mary Elizabeth Winsteadu0026#39;s Claire is enigmatic and we never know what she is really thinking. Winstead delivers one of the best performances of her career as well and the two turn Faults into a highly engaging and hypnotic film well worth your time.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ehttp://estebueno10.blogspot.com/”