Windfall is available exclusively March 18 on Netflix.
Sometimes the greatest bell or whistle a movie can have is just an actor doing their thing very, very well. Director Charlie McDowell clearly knows that, leaning into that simple ethos in his latest Netflix film, Windfall. The starring trio of Jason Segel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons serves as the bedrock upon which this tense little thriller is built, as they play out a deceptively simple story that uses its intimate scale to great effect. Set in one location with only four actors, the narrative unspools around a quietly escalating tale of mistakes, simmering resentment, and the gravity of the choices one makes.
Along with being a character piece, Windfall is also very much about mood, environment, and score. Right from the top, cinematographer Isiah Donté Lee imbues the film with a timeless classic Hollywood aesthetic, revealing a locked frame on the shaded veranda of an upscale vacation home in the desert. As a soft breeze laps at the awnings, it’s easy to imagine Grace Kelly or Maureen O’Hara sauntering through the French doors. But only the film’s credits appear as they play over the serene scene, until the camera shifts to the broader view of an isolated citrus ranch in the desert. A lone man (Segel) meanders the property, assessing and cataloging the opulent and unused amenities surrounding him. Rumpled and silent, he eventually moves with a purpose inside the residence until he’s interrupted by the arrival of the owners (Plemons and Collins) for what looks to be a spur-of-the-moment long-weekend away. Unable to escape without being seen, the stranger surprises the couple and before they can act in their own defense, he’s able to use the threat of a gun to keep them docile. As they tensely gauge their captor’s intentions, all three of them wrestle with how to act in this heightened moment, with the stranger bumbling through preventive measures to keep his captives controllable while he figures out what to ask of them and how to escape without getting followed, or arrested.
Over the course of 36 hours, the three are forced to co-exist as they await the delivery of money via an assistant. Screenwriters Justin Lader and Andrew Kevin Walker have constructed a very smart, witty, and lean script that clocks in at a well-paced 90 minutes. There’s no narrative fat to the story, as the softly escalating circumstances build toward a satisfyingly kinetic final 20 minutes. And all of it is aided by the stellar scoring work of the composing team of Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, who underscore the entire piece with rich woodwinds and lush arrangements for cues that run the gamut from comedic and quirky to mysterious and foreboding. Their work is the movie’s fifth character and it elevates the whole piece from top to bottom.
There’s also an admirable precision to the organic building of the story beats, which always serve to bolster the logic of the situation, and how it plausibly plays out. From the isolated setting to the home’s technological handicaps, and even the mellow countenance of Segel’s character, all of it fits together to do its part in keeping the power dynamics amongst the three fraught but not overwrought. There’s parity and balance in having Segel’s robber be slightly dopey, but not stupid. And there’s also a realism to Plemon’s character being arrogant enough to think he’s got the strategic upper hand in most life scenarios, while a simmering cowardice constantly permeates his bravado. Collin's character, meanwhile, straddles the two worldviews represented by the disparate men, as they encapsulate where she came from and what she walked towards.
If there’s a flaw in the script, it’s with the addition of a Mexican gardener (Omar Leyva) who arrives and tips the precarious balance maintained through the bulk of the story. His arrival and gratitude towards his self-important employer is heavy-handed in its use of tropes and its ultimate outcome. Leyva gives an endearing and sympathetic performance, but his character is a means to an end, so he isn’t given the complexity and nuance that his counterparts are afforded.
Even still, this is overall McDowell's most assured work, accomplishing style, substance, and thoughtful character impulses that mostly play against expectations. For the observant, engaged, and patient, there are many rewards in a climax that feels earned and rather shrewd.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/ctoVQYO
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