Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen pour on the moody weather-beaten gloom in You’ll Never Find Me. A slow-burn Australian chamber piece thriller that twists and turns its way to a relatively chaotic conclusion.
The story almost entirely takes place in a lonely house in a caravan park as a violent storm rages on outside. Patrick (Brendan Rock) is the homeowner, a clearly troubled man who is interrupted in his solace by a bedraggled visitor (Jordan Cowan) during the middle of the night. The visitor has got stranded in the storm and just wants to use Patrick’s phone. He doesn’t have one, but encourages her to stay until the storm ends so he can guide her to one.
So begins a nervy dance of mistrust between the two. The film asks the question, ”Who, if anyone, is the villain of this piece?” and for a decent stretch, there’s genuine mystery in the question. The visitor has holes in her story, but seems to be incredibly wary of Patrick, who appears to be making excuses to keep her there. He could just be lonely, of course, and everything about his home suggests a self-enforced captivity.
Massive praise must go to the film for how it builds its mood and tension. Bell and Allen maintain an oppressive atmosphere inside the house, but keep the viewer and the players confined to it by making the outside feel like an unwelcoming void where all that exists in it is a relentless storm that seems hell-bent on keeping these two people together against their will, allowing them to get to know each other.
As both, somewhat reluctantly, reveal their life stories to each other, it seems they might actually have something in common. I almost began to suspect a wild turn in the tale that the film was just playing up to the paranoia of two strangers brought together by circumstance in a place that doesn’t exactly feel welcoming.
But the truth does eventually come out. Well, the first portion of it anyway, and suddenly, the slow-burn atmosphere evaporates, and a verbal cat-and-mouse game becomes a physical one. It had to happen, I suppose, but once You’ll Never Find Me shows its hand(s), it loses some steam, and its ultimate revelation robs the preceding 90 minutes of an aspect of its atmosphere.
But it does not take away from two compelling performances from Rock and Cowan. You’ll Never Find Me struggles at times to make a convincing argument for either character’s innocence or potential sinister intent, but the duo do their utmost to convince you with the way they convey it. Be that in facial expressions, shifts in body language, or in verbal exchanges.
While there’s no denying that the film’s conclusion does drain a lot of tension out of a rewatch, those performances, with the new context added, do give an interesting shift in perspective. Bell and Allen build a delightfully dark and moody chamber piece where the storm is as much a character as Patrick and the visitor.
This is a confident feature-length debut that shows a real understanding of building atmosphere with a minimal toolset. The conclusion isn’t quite as effective as everything that precedes it, but there’s much to like about You’ll Never Find Me.
Score 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to ”Good”. A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
You’ll Never Find Me is out on digital platforms on March 22, 2024.
ComingSoon was provided with a screener for the review of You’ll Never Find Me.
