The A in “Exhibit A” must stand for Awful. Atrocious? How about Agonizing as in agonising to watch. This 2007 British indie film boasts to be a psychological thriller. Filmmaker Dom Rotheroe wrote and directed. I’m quite certain MR. Rotheroe may not know what the term psychological thriller means.
It’s found footage. A sub-genre that’s often difficult to perfect. When it’s done well (“Paranormal Activity,” “Cloverfield,” “Host”) it’s a perfect accomplice to standard horror. When it’s bad (“Heidi,” “The Marked Ones,” “The Visit”) it’s downright woeful, and “Exhibit A” falls into the latter camp.
The plot sucks
Judith (Brittany Ashworth) lives with her parents and obnoxious older brother. Her dad (Bradley Cole) is in the running for a big promotion at work. If he gets it, the family will move to a nice new house. They are all excited. Save for Judith, who doesn’t want to move because she has a crush on the neighbor. The dad suddenly becomes an arsehole. Things get weird. That’s about it.
Oh, and Judith likes to film everything, for some reason.
It’s short. Clocking in at 86 minutes. And that’s where the compliments end. The acting is poor. There are no scares. There’s nothing in the way of tension. It opens with a police report, so we know what’s coming. But by the time we get to the end, we don’t care at all.
“Exhibit A” is a total waste of time. I was shocked (but not shocked) to read it got praise in Britain and won several indie awards. Pish. It’s boring. The found footage aspect is a crutch for a weak story and suspect acting. We’re three weeks away from October. This one isn’t worth a second of your time.
“Exhibit A” is currently available to stream if you really want to.
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