Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'John and the Hole'
(Image courtesy of Sundance Film Festival)
The dramatic thriller 'John and the Hole' (world premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival) re-imagines a 'Home Alone' scenario ... except without burglars ... and with way less energy ... and the kid isn't abandoned on accident so much as he imprisons his family.
In short: Young teen John (Charlie Shotwell) discovers an abandoned bunker in a nearby forest - and he decides to hold his affluent parents (Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Ehle) and older sister (Taissa Farmiga) captive.
Pascual Sisto's feature-length debut basically asks 'what if a troubled kid essentially made his family his prisoners - so he could just do whatever he wanted, free of anyone telling him what to do?' And that's basically the movie. There really isn't a lot to 'John and the Hole' - aside from it being a hyperbolic thought exercise stretched out to a feature-length film. Turns out, the answer isn't surprising - a spoiled, well off, expressionless kid ... just does whatever he wants.
The key to embracing 'John' is accepting the film as a thin character study of a troubled teen who could or would throw his family down a hole - and leave them to fend for themselves. Don't expect much in the way of character motivation. John wears a mask-like blank expression for virtually the entire film. The film doesn't justify John's decision at all nor does it even try to - which is fine. Saddling John with some tragic backstory or labeling his acts as 'mentally ill' would make it too easy to detach from the feelings of what its like to live with a family member like John. Aside from a crippling case of affluenza, he's not neglected nor is he abused by his family or friends.
While 'John' examines the boy's anxiety as he ponders the unstoppable shift from adolescence to adulthood, a subtle undercurrent of the film is rooted in the perspective of the family. There's no indication they have harmed him psychologically or physically - yet they are prisoners all the same, held captive by a troubled child who yearns for freedom from them. Although the film invests most of the runtime with a generally apathetic John's isolated and carefree life without the burden of oversight, 'John' just dumps the family in a prison, with them left to wonder what they did wrong and without any hope of escape. Taken nonliterally, these same feelings could resonate with any parent or sibling living with a troubled family member - as they grapple with fear, uncertainty, guilt, anger and unconditional love.
About the only thing the film does right is nailing his indifference, that wavers between angst, innocence and unnerving psychological issues. The movie has disturbing flashes of tension and genuine danger - because the movie makes pointedly clear that John is capable of remorseless cruelty - without malice and seemingly without provocation.
Final verdict: This dark coming-of-age thriller coasts along based on its high-concept premise that is frankly unsatisfying if the viewer focuses solely on John. The key to unlocking 'John and the Hole,' however, lies in the viewer's ability to truly empathize with John's family, and their daily life with a family member like John.
Score: 3/5
'John and the Hole' screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. This dramatic thriller is not yet rated and has a running time of 98 minutes.
Directed by Pascual Sisto / Screenplay by Nicolás Giacobone / Cinematography by Paul Ozgur / Film Editing by Sara Shaw / Production Design by Jacqueline Abrahams / Starring Jennifer Ehle, Michael C. Hall, Taissa Farmiga and Charlie Shotwell.
