Tribeca 2021: We Need to Do Something
TRIBECA 2021Single location movies can often be tedious and repetitive, but Sean O’Grady’s We Need to Do Something is a plethora of horrors, surprises and a whole lot of gore. It takes the concept of being stuck in a confined space with no visible escape and runs with it. What sets it apart from other films of a similar genre is that it has a fascinating portrayal of family dysfunctions. Learning about the characters’ lives, and they too learn about themselves as they lose their wits. Although the concept leads to all kinds of lowbrow gags and clichés, it does manage to flow straight through and play it pretty straight up.
Melissa (Sierra McCormick) is a teenage girl who is used to having a dysfunctional relationship with her family. However, when an unexpected tornado traps her inside the family home’s bathroom with her parents Dianne (Vinessa Shaw), Robert (Pat Healy) and younger brother Bobby (John James Cronin), those rifts are intensified. With no sign of rescue, their confinement within the increasingly-more-claustrophobic-by-the-hour bathroom stretches to multiple days, and the situation becomes even more aggravating. As the family members struggle to maintain their sanity, Melissa comes to realize that she and her girlfriend Amy (Lisette Alexis) might have something to do with the horrors that threaten to tear her family apart in this troubled time.
Unlike many films that trick the viewer with an attractive and original concept that is barely utilized, this one fully explores what draws the audience in. The film's entirety takes place in the lavatory room they are stuck in, so there are no unnecessary filler scenes, except for some flashbacks. This results in the film exploring the possibility of its premise where the family tries to find ways of getting out of the room, and they keep getting interrupted by various evil forces. These evil forces, themselves, look good unexplained and, along with the gory stuff, are used sparingly and to effect. It is very much a film that focuses on its characters and their situation, rather than just being a natural disaster or a sci-fi thriller. However, one of the problems is that Amy’s character is not paid attention to that much. We never see her during the main events, only in flashbacks, so she feels a little distant and occasionally forced. The film also has an absurd turn of events that may not appeal to every viewer, but it is entertaining to watch.
For those who view disaster-themed films as an excuse to show gore and violence, We Need to Do Something may seem like just another retelling with a different concept, but for audiences who enjoy such movies, it is an inventive way to tell another disaster story. Any movie that can hold the attention of the viewer and nearly everything that takes place in a bathroom must have something going for it. Admittedly, a lot of things here are far from realistic or believable, causing the film to get to a respectable run-time by utilising its secondary flaw in mind-numbing conversations between the family members, but it adds significantly to the chaotic nature of the film.