Southbound (2015)

Southbound: Directed by Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Tyler Gillett, Patrick Horvath, Justin Martinez, Radio Silence, Chad Villella. With Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Fabianne Therese. Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares – and darkest secrets – over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.

“Southbound is unlike most Horror films, belonging to a sub-genre I would define as u0026quot;intertwinedu0026quot;. 5 different stories leading to and deriving from each other: Two friends on trying to get home, a girl band trying to get to their next gig, a man trying to go home to his loving wife, a brother trying to rescue his sister, and a family on vacation before their daughter goes to college. Sufficing to say nothing ends well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe common ground for the tales is the actual ground, as they all seem to be taking place at the same location, referred to as u0026quot;the middle of nowhereu0026quot; and giving a strong sensation of Hell itself. Also, all the characters seem to be tuned in to the same radio station, where the DJ hints of his awareness to their sins and struggles. In each story, the protagonists (if you can call them that) have secrets in an escalating level of severity, and I guess the moral is that Karma always catches up to you.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSeeing as how each story is around 17 minutes in average, itu0026#39;s quite challenging for me to rate the film as a whole. The screen writing is by far the best feature, as the stories leave you confused, wondering, desperate and lost. Some fine shooting and cinematography as well, especially during the beginning of The Accident part (great work from directors and screenwriters Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin). The acting is also good, but the each of the cast is given little screen time, so itu0026#39;s hard to say anything more. I will say that all the cast is largely unknown, and still showed a lot of promise.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, Southbound would appeal to fans of more u0026quot;artisticu0026quot; Horror films. Itu0026#39;s unusual and quite unique, leaving the audience with an uneasy sense of bewilderment. While not my preferable sub- genre, I was very impressed with it and enjoyed it to the last second.”