(IMAGE: Strayer Pictures)
Strayer Pictures. 2021. Mystery/Thriller. 80 minutes.
RATING: 3 out of 4
When a movie’s press notes begin by making what seem like pre-emptive excuses, it’s usually a bad sign. How many times in the last year have reviewers of indie films been told in advance the ways in which COVID affected the shoot? More than we’d care to say. How many times has it not been fairly obvious? Rarely. The fact is that the constraints COVID imposes are often the same ones that no-budget filmcraft also must adjust to. No crowd scenes. No well-trafficked locations. Tiny crews. Almost no cast. And as many scenes as can be shot inside the same one room as possible.
All of which is to say that the movie Outlier, on many superficial levels…isn’t. If anything, it had an advantage over similar non-COVID era super-indies in that the production got to utilize vacation cabins that became unseasonably empty. But when it comes to films that feel compelled to mention COVID in press materials, Outlier is. Because with or without quarantine, director Nate Strayer and cowriter Jona Doug expertly crafted a script that mostly uses just two characters in basic interiors. And they shot and edited in a way that’s never boring or overly stagey. In other words, this movie needs no excuses. Under any circumstances, it’s an auspicious feature debut for Strayer that ought to earn him a lot more work.
The more impressive aspect is that both leads are making their onscreen debuts, and female lead Jessica Denton is the director’s sister. Watching the movie without knowing, you’d never get the sense that she scored the role for any reason other than being just right for it. Ditto Thomas Cheslek, who has a much more challenging part; one that has to keep audiences guessing whether he’s truly friend or foe.
After a confusingly edited opening, the purpose of which does become a lot clearer later on, we meet Olivia (Denton) as she’s being berated by her lousy boyfriend James (Logan Fleisher). As an argument ensues in a public place, the seemingly guileless, friendly Thomas (Cheslek) intervenes to ask if she needs help. She affirms. He drives her away, to his place, which might seem a bit of a red flag. But he feeds her, gives her new clothes, and offers to mail her letter to her mother. Is he actually a really nice guy, though, or the angry sort of “nice guy” with significant expectations in return?
Strayer draws that particular mystery out for half the movie, and even beyond. Olivia thinks she hears Thomas talking out loud about her, to nobody apparent. But is she having PTSD hallucinations, or is Thomas actually gaslighting her? So used is she to abuse that it’s hard to tell, and we’re left wondering for a long time too. Then, even once Thomas’ true character appears to come into focus, there’s a significant question of motivation, still. And it’s very of-the-moment; one might even say “meta,” in both the literal and Mark Zuckerberg-branded meaning of the word.
What makes the casting more perfect is the unfamiliarity of the leads. Had this had a bigger budget and cast stars, the chemistry could play totally different, or we might think, “Oh, Thomas is helping her because she’s hot, and he’s not” But both Denton and Cheslek look – and act — like regular people who’d never get a second glance; while they might take it personally to be told they look ordinary, it’s the whole point here. Average people want to be heroes in their own narrative. The tension between that and the harsh reality of the situation is vital to Outlier‘s success as a story.
Strayer only makes one story misstep – a final stinger scene that could be construed either as a twist or sequel hook. With a runtime of just 80 minutes, maybe the film felt like it needed a little extra padding, or to hit a minimum goal. But it feels like an afterthought not properly set up.
That said, if there is a sequel? I’ll be there to check it out.
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