Run

17 Year old Chloe Sherman (Keira Allen, who has MS and is in a wheelchair) – who has arrhythmia, hemochromatosis, asthma, diabetes, and paralysis – is waiting on her uni acceptance letter. Chloe’s mum Diane (Sarah Poulson), who has doted on her and looked after her her whole life – is sad and dreading the day she leaves. Days go by and Chloe’s letter does not arrive, weird things start to happen and she grows suspicious. The mystery starts to reveal itself and her mum’s love and devotion are not quite what they seem.

There is no pretence here, Run is a psychological thriller through and through. Despite the well worn familiarity it is a bloody entertaining one, with its simplicity, good characters and storyline amplifying its brutal effectiveness. The fact that it does not take itself too seriously helps, it has just the right amount of camp, b movie fun. The result is a terse 90 minute thriller with not an ounce of fat on it, but plenty of the requisite tension, twists and turns, a growing sense of unease and helplessness. Credit to director Aneesh Changanty.

Keira Allen is a revelation, we feel everything Chloe feels from joy and determination to annoyance, fear and panic. She is smart and does not make too many dumb decisions, which is refreshing and quite rare in these kind of films. Sarah Poulson plays the calculating and increasingly unhinged mum to perfection. Their relationship is the glue that holds the film together, and it grows darker and more tumultuous as events unfold.

It is familiar and does stick to genre tropes but Run is a sumptuously made and engaging thriller with lots of nerve racking tension, a b movie sense of fun and a satisfying ending.

8/10