Junction begins
with a bit of voice over narration describing a childhood nightmare, whose main
image has never quite disappeared. Then during the opening credits we see a
group of four people in car, in a series of close-ups from outside the car.
Each person is isolated, from us because of the barrier of the windows, and
from each other through the choice of single shots. None of them is talking.
They arrive at the home of their drug dealer, and David
(Tom Pelphrey), the driver, goes in. He doesn’t have the money and asks for the
drugs as a favor. It’s revealed through the dialogue that David and the dealer
went through rehab together, which is a nice touch. The film, though intense,
actually has many humorous touches like that. What’s wonderful about those
moments is that they don’t lessen or destroy the tension, but in some ways
actually add to it, because these moments show that even comedy is robbed of
its ability to solve, or even ease the situation.
Tai (Anthony Ruivivar), the dealer, mentions that he
wants to get a television for his mother’s birthday, so David sees that as an
opportunity to get the crystal meth that he and his three friends are desperate
for. So the four of them break into the house of a family that had recently
moved in (figuring the family likely hadn't installed alarms yet). David finds
a large flat-screen television and puts it in the car. Donald (Neal Bledsoe)
has meanwhile found an older style television in the attic, and they decide to
use that as a back-up in case Tai doesn’t want a flat-screen.
David, Kari (Summer Crockett Moore) and Spot (Harris
Doran) wait in the car, but it is taking Donald way too long to bring down the
other television. While Spot urges them to just leave him, their loyalty to
their friend causes them all to go back into the house. By then, the older
television isn’t even necessary, as David has talked to Tai on the phone, and
Tai said the flat-screen would be fine. So we as audience members just want
Donald to get out of there. But in the meantime Donald has discovered some
videos in the machine of the older television, and now his goals have changed.
Donald makes David promise that if the cops do nothing
about what they’ve discovered, that they themselves will take care of it. But
then, as they are finally leaving the house, the man, Connor (Anthony Rapp)
arrives home, followed soon by his wife, Jennifer (Sharon Maguire), and young
daughter, Mia (Danielle Kotch). And what was going to be a simple robbery turns
into a hostage situation, when Donald flips out.
This is a totally intense film with excellent
performances by the entire cast. The relationships are so interesting, and
change throughout the film. These are well-defined relationships, and that
includes that between the two main cops (played by David Zayas and Michael
O’Keefe). They’re given a lot to work with, including a bit of a back story
that comes into play with how they handle this situation. Basically, the plot
is really well thought out, with layers that make it feel much more real. The
cops aren’t just cops. The thieves aren’t just thieves. And the victims
certainly aren’t just victims. Everyone has depth which makes this film not
your average thriller.
Bonus Features
The DVD includes The Making Of “Junction,” which features
interviews with a lot of the cast, including Summer Crockett Moore (who was
also a producer on this project), Neal Bledsoe, Tom Pelphrey, Harris Doran (who
mentions how the cast had a week of rehearsals) and Sharon Maguire. Key crew
members are also interviewed, including writer/director Tony Glazer, Adrian
Correia (the cinematographer, who talks about the film noir elements in the
look of the film), Austin Wintory (the composer), and Pat Patterson (a
producer). They talk about the effects of crystal meth, and how the makeup
really helped the actors get into character. This special feature is thirty-two
minutes.
The DVD also includes the film’s trailer.
Junction was
written and directed by Tony Glazer, and was released on DVD on April 22, 2014
through Grand Entertainment Group.
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