SXSW (Short) Review: OUT OF NOWHERE

OUT OF NOWHERE is a strange and mysterious film that combines the bizarre mentality of David Lynch with the curious displacement of time and space reminiscent of stories from THE OUTER LIMITS or THE TWILIGHT ZONE. The film could be described as a darker, grittier sort of GROUNDHOG’S DAY, but in Will Lamborn’s short film there is no clear and evident happy ending, leaving the audience wondering what the heck just happened… or, more appropriately… what the heck is happening?

This sense of bewilderment is not a negative criticism of OUT OF NOWHERE. In fact, its what makes the film interesting. Unlike the more readily accessible and standard feature film, a short film has the luxury of bending or even breaking the rules. Filmmakers get to experiment with short films and it produced some rather interesting results. OUT OF NOWHERE is an example of this experimentation. The story wets the appetite, gets the audience talking and sets in motion discussion.

Peter (Dominic Spillane) is riding in a car with Josh (Robert W. Evans) down a desolate and lonely desert road when Josh suddenly pulls over, claiming engine trouble. As a result, Peter finds himself trekking alone though the middle of nowhere, searching for a way to escape when he stumbles upon a small house. Upon entering the house, he meets a peculiar couple named Curtis (John Henry Whitaker) and Mary (Samantha Colburn), quickly discovering something simply is not right about them or this place.

Peter finds himself repeatedly thrown into a familiar situation with familiar people, but the scenario keeps changing just slightly as he attempts to figure out a way to escape the nonsensical reality he has somehow fallen into. Spillane and Colburn convey an attractive but dangerous familiarity, something similar to that of Kyle Maclachlan and Isabella Rossellini in BLUE VELVET. The story has an unsettling intensity that builds into a crescendo of characters’ roles being rearranged, implying and endless cycle.

OUT OF NOWHERE is an enjoyable cinematic experience, presenting a wonderful “what if” plot that twists itself inside-out and begs to be expanded into a feature film. Whitaker gives Curtis an ambiguous quality that confuses the audience as to whether he’s a threat or not, while Spillane’s and Colburn’s chemistry demands more revelation. To find more about the film or to support the filmmaker, visit their website at outofnowherefilm.com.