After being stuck in limbo since its screening at FrightFest in 2011, The Glass Man is finally available to the general public, and is well worth the wait.
Martin (Andy Nyman) and his wife Julie (Neve Campbell) have a lovely house and what seems like a perfect marriage. Except Martin was sacked weeks ago and hasn’t told her. In fact, he keeps getting dressed, taking his packed lunch, and ‘going’ to work every day as normal. Unfortunately, the bills are piling up without Julie’s knowledge, and he is in over his head. Things get worse when he’s visited by a thug, Pecco (James Cosmo), who has purchased his debt and wants payment. He offers Martin a deal: come with him for night and help with a ‘job’ and his slate is clean.
The Glass Man is a thoroughly engrossing film once you get over the fact it’s nearly ten years old. Nyman, in particular, is visibly younger. The title is a poignant as his former co-workers have been told to ignore him, to look through him as if he were glass. He’s also a week and put-upon chap, easily bullied as we see when he’s relieved of his fancy watch in one of the most uncomfortable muggings we’ve seen. This is a man who’s defined by his status, and now that’s gone, all that is left is a made-to-measure suit and a crumbling marriage.
Genre fans will spot where the narrative is going, but it manages to have some neat rug-pulls along the way. Writer and director Cristian Solimeno has fashioned a story that’s believable even in its most outlandish moments. Perhaps even more so now, we can relate to the economic crisis Martin is suffering, and the horror of only having a few pounds to your name. As always, James Cosmo plays his role of a hard man with true gusto and every scene he’s in is charged with a nervous energy. As things spiral to the inevitable conclusion, Nyman balances Martin’s pathos and composure perfectly, making him a relatable, if tragic, creation.
