John and the Hole
IFC "What does it feel like to be an adult?" asks 13-year-old John, because he just can't imagine living that long. Childhood is a social construct where people expect younger kids to behave themselves at all times and listen to their elders. It’s not every day that a child gets the opportunity to overpower a grown-up, be it through an innocent prank or a devilish scheme to get back at them for their superiority. Pascual Sisto’s John and the Hole is a strange tale of swapping power dynamics and unexpected connection. It's hard not to wonder what’s going on during most of the runtime; however, wanting to embrace what's happening but not being fully able to is the main problem here. It's the small, almost unnoticed, moments that are the most chilling but unfortunately the movie ends up being a little too hollow at its core.
The story follows John (Charlie Shotwell), the youngest member of an upper middle-class family. With a stolid glare, he practices piano, attends tennis lessons and has one only friend that exists primarily online. He's completely disconnected from the world around him and spends the majority of his day alone. One day, while out exploring the woods with his drone, he stumbles upon an underground bunker, which apparently intrigues him. Later that night, John drugs his family: parents Brad (Michael C. Hall) and Anna (Jennifer Ehle) along with his sister Laurie (Taissa Farmiga) and moves their sleeping bodies into the deep bunker from where they're unable to escape. With his newfound freedom and the whole house to himself, he begins to role play being an adult.
Every year, audiences come across a number of ambiguous and atmospheric films that appeal to certain viewers but not to others. John and the Hole can be classified as one of those movies which generally get good reactions from people, but also hold a massive bunker (no pun intended) filled with way too many questions. Almost the entire film deals with something separated from the apparent premise. This is where the movie fails to deliver a captivating narrative and, instead, brings forward a story that makes viewers scratch their heads with curiosity. The screenplay is full of intriguing premises and setups, but its respective developments and outcomes are far from extraordinary or surprising. There is a subplot which adds a vital dimension to what makes the movie perplexing, but there should have been some sort of organic tie between the main storyline and the parallel one. Having done that ineffectively, the combination feels hollow and dissatisfying by the time the credits roll.
The performances, on the other hand, are great from all cast members. Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, and Taissa Farmiga are formidable as the secondary characters in the story, transforming a small bunker into an engrossing place due to their conversations and interactions while stuck.
Seeing them trying to gather their wits in this troubled time proves to be very entertaining. However, Charlie Shotwell steals the show, as expected from such a lead-centered narrative. One of the most captivating things about his character is how audiences can never be sure of what goes on in his head, mainly due to his expressionless face. There is no explanation as to why he traps his family or what exactly his motives are; instead it is all left to the viewer’s interpretation. The cinematography is brilliant, having shot the film in a tight 4:3 aspect ratio which complements the mystifying story. Through the use of long lenses, the inside of the hole is framed in a monitored perspective that feels excruciatingly claustrophobic. Caterina Barbieri's eerie score also generates the tense environment, keeping audiences clueless about what is to follow.
John and the Hole ultimately succeeds in providing a surprisingly fresh take on the well-established genre of films that critique childhood in modern-day America, but it fails to give enough insight into the story at hand. Perhaps some further evaluation of the plot, or the subplot, could have benefitted the pacing otherwise this is a film that is likely to engross several viewers.