In order to discover the truth and find true peace after a traumatic event, how far would you go even if you may have the wrong potential culprit? That question and more are meticulously scrutinised in Lou Simon’s latest film, 3.
This revenge thriller follows the story of two characters, known simply as He (Todd Bruno) and She (Aniela McGuinness), who kidnap It (Mike Stanley), the man who they believed raped She at a party they attended together, in order to gather his confession to this reprehensible crime. However, as the patience of He wears thin, some dark secrets begin to emerge.
From the outlook, this may seem like your typical revenge story but that is not the case as writer/director Lou Simon has crafted a rather smart and gritty tale that absolutely blows some of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest twists out of the water with an incredibly well realised and shocking ending. The journey that our three main characters set out on actively encourage the audience to join them through a mixture of gripping performances, particularly from Stanley, who, as It, makes you feel sorry for someone who could well be a disgusting individual.
By focusing on only three characters in a confined location, Lou Simon has managed to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that builds layers of tension on top while adding some truly accomplished instances of uses of practical effects that will make even the most veteran of gore fans wince.
However, as proficient as the film may be, it’s not without its faults. Obviously being on a confined budget, some elements can be tough to nail. On one hand, the use of natural sound boosts the reality of the situation but in some cases, the editing – both audio and visual – can be jarring, pulling the audience out of the experience, especially during one of the most intense scenes in the movie. Couple that with some glaring pacing issues during the first act and this may alienate some viewers.
Although it has some issues, Lou Simon and her movie 3 should be praised for taking a known concept and running with it to create a clever, solid and gritty revenge thriller that will leave some people truly asking themselves what is real and what is all in their head.
3 / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: LOU SIMON / STARRING: KATIE CARPENTER, ANIELA MCGUINNESS, MIKE STANLEY, TODD BRUNO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (US), TBC (UK)
