ALONE Film Review September 15, 2020
Alone
Reviewed: 9/15/2020
Magnet Releasing
Rating: 4 / 5
ALONE Opens In Theaters and On Demand September 18th!
(ALONE a Magnet release)
The premise of thriller, “Alone” sounds familiar but the story takes turns that are unique. A widow has her U-Haul packed up and is moving. She is harassed by a stranger on her journey who eventually kidnaps her and holds her in a remote cabin in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.
The story is really a two character play. Jessica (played by Jules Willcox) and her captor (played by Marc Menchaca). A disturbing game of cat and mouse that, without giving things away, expands far beyond the plot.
I was hooked by the film from the get go. The plot twists were very effective and kept things from venturing into familiar thriller territory. When I expected certain things to happen, they didn’t, which pleasantly surprised me.
(Jules Wilcox and Marc Menchaca in ALONE, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.)
Jules Willcox put on a multi-layered performance. From the grieving widow, she displayed vulnerability, sadness, but with realism and caution. When Marc’s character approaches her vehicle to apologize for his earlier car antics, she is not naive and welcoming. Her guard is up and it just adds to the impact when she eventually awakens in the basement of his cabin. She also shows her will and determination to survive throughout the film. Her captivating performance can be added to the list of strong female characters in cinema.
Marc Menchaca also creates a character that is creepy but not overly so. His background in the film (no spoilers) just adds to the unnerving quality of his character. The old adage your hero is only as strong as your villain definitely applies here. Marc goes toe to toe with Jules and this is where “Alone” sets itself apart from the average thriller.
(Jules Willcox in ALONE, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.)
The screenplay is smart. Several times I thought to myself, “why doesn’t the character do this” and then two seconds later, the character did exactly what made sense to me.
Overall, “Alone” is a thriller that will entertain the audience from start to finish. Recommended.
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts
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