A family’s hiking holiday is interrupted by a couple of sadistic thugs. But what exactly are they after?
The debut feature from New Zealand director James Ashcroft, Coming Home In The Dark delivers an ultra-tense 98 minutes filled with either brutal sadism – or the promise of more sadism to come.
Without giving spoilers, this is a film with something to say about cycles of violence and the value of empathy. It was a sufficiently effective portrayal of violent bullying that I watched it pacing the room, grimacing and tensing my hands, so you know the craft is there. “Run for it! Hit him! Do it now!” I thought to myself, as I urged the characters to break free from their captors.
Well-crafted, excellently acted, highly focused and unapologetically brutal, Coming Home In The Dark is a savage, gripping voyage into the darkness – and if you can stomach the blunt, crunching violence, its definitely worth your attention.
Coming Home In The Dark plays at the Fantasia Film Festival on demand.
Whitlock&Pope 