SXSW 2008 - SHUTTLE review

A difficult film to discuss at length without careening into spoiler territory, it can at least be said that writer / director Edward Anderson’s suspense / horror hybrid Shuttle packs in more reversals and twists than you can shake a handful of severed fingers at. The film eschews heavy stylization in terms of look and performances resulting in a stripped down, organic ode to the evils of the dark and the folly of misplaced trust. It took a night of reflection for me to realize how deeply Shuttle had jammed its hooks into me – there was no question the film was effective on a purely visceral level, but its deeper, more unsettling themes resonated louder and louder the longer considered.

Anderson’s script puts two twenty-something girlfriends on an after-hours airport shuttle ride that moves from bad to much, much worse over the course of one very long night, culminating in a series of desperate showdowns as the girls are unwittingly pushed toward a surprising, vile fate. To say much more would rob Shuttle of one of its principal assets – the sense of dread that grows increasingly palpable as the story continues building while resisting the urge to reveal too much too soon. When the other shoe drops toward the picture’s end, it’s the best kind of cinematic sucker punch – cold, calculated, and intrinsically woven into the narrative, not flown in from left field.

The two young leads, Peyton List and Cameron Goodman, have chemistry together, and are believable as best friends. Where Shuttle falls a little flat is the way the girls are developed early on – when the film really gets rolling late in the first act it becomes so focused on maintaining full-tilt forward momentum that that sort of effort at characterization takes a distant back seat, causing a late-game reveal regarding List and Goodman’s relationship to fall flat and distract from just how effectively tension was being maintained. While the attempt at deeper characterization is admirable, it ends up distancing the viewer before the film switches back to firing on all its macabre cylinders. The other central performer, Scottish-born actor Tony Curran gives a strong, precisely measured turn.

More of a suspense piece for a good portion of its runtime, when Shuttle’s truly horrific underpinnings finally creep out it twists the knife with ghoulish precision. The film eventually takes on a topical dimension as it races toward the finish line, but avoids what would’ve been an ill-advised descent into politicking in favor of a simple, matter-of-fact presentation of the terrible reality facing its characters. Shot in and around Boston exclusively at night in a mixture of HD and 35mm, the film has a studied look filled with deep blacks and garish, grimy splashes of color.

As a debut feature, Shuttle makes a strong impression and heralds good things to come from Anderson. The occasional structural quibble aside, the film maintains an icy grip on audience emotions and pulses with tension throughout, driving toward an original conclusion with morbid abandon.