Don’t Move is a cat-and-mouse premise with a spiraling limit. Directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler, the testing of the waters gets vivid (rapidly) in Don’t Move. The writing is a killer with a motive. However, the “motive” does not go as planned. There is a setting with a forest and a mountain. And one hiking trip in peril with a tantalizing twist.

The film’s main character is Iris (played by Kelsey Asbille). The film begins with going on a hike to grieve the loss of her child. As she stands over the ledge on her hike, another hiker gets her attention, and he is Richard (played by Finn Wittrock). They start some small talk, but within minutes, she finds herself as Richard’s hostage. She tries many means to escape, but then she realizes that Richard has injected a relaxant into her bloodstream. Therefore, running and being in shock causes a shutdown of her motor skills. The film makes the clock tick. Can Iris escape the dangers of Richard (who is a killer)? Can Iris keep her body from shutting down? Don’t Move is like an odyssey of its audience worrying about running out of gas. However, it is in terms of human functions to survive.

Don’t Move is a film of adrenaline. It is also thought-provoking. As Iris finds herself fighting to keep her system from shutting down, Richard finds himself to be causing more disasters among himself. This is because when witnesses get in the way, he mustkeep destroying the evidence (as he is dealing with Iris). Therefore, the film creates more for its audience to think about while the chaos is already mayhem.

There is a saying in the film, “Wrong place, right time!” it is the “wrong place” for both characters because both are in harm’s way. Iris is doing everything (in her power) to run before giving Richard the chance to hurt her (even more). Richard tries to keep his act together and keep Iris in sight. Otherwise, his raging behavior sends off red signals. The suspense is all intuitive. However, it does not offer many surprises. It contains more shock value of its graphic violence.

The frequent thoughts of Iris and her body shutting down had my attention on Don’t Move. The focus of that halting effect made my head spin repeatedly. The natural setting adds to that pressure (for the audience). Limited cell service, a small town, and a race to survive.

Even though it is in tune to be shockingly disturbing, its cleverness is that its killer is not getting his way. The two-sided stressors of the hostage (Iris) and the Killer (Richard) bring in lots of damage to be considered (for its audience). The damage creates a two-to-tango dynamic intensively in Don’t Move. Overall, it is a typical continuity setup that grasps terror with misdirection. “Misdirection” with one at risk for motor skills shutting down (along with the risk of being murdered) and one running out of time to hide his uncharted territory. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Don’t Move.

This film spotlights three sisters working to come together during a time of pain and grief– spiraling many emotions of regret, shame, jealousy, confusion as well as agreements, disagreements, and connections. His Three Daughters takes all those concepts and forms them into one life-changing and complex scenario. It does so with a flow of writing that is faithful to human feelings. His Three Daughters is a narrative that knows how to keep its focus—keeping the three sistersworking together despite their differences with the patterns shifting and spiraling authentically. Carrie Coon delivers many of the long speeches in the dramatic scenes. I have seen Coon in Steppenwolf Theatre productions in Chicago. Coon’s performance in His Three Daughters brings out her determined and theatrical presence to the finest level. Natasha Lyonne plays a role common to her quirkiness in The American Pie franchise. Lyonne though, shifts this one to have silly sides within her, while dealing with a serious situation. Then there is Elizabeth Olsen.  We are used to seeing her in Marvel films, but her breadth of roles has gotten more serious and fulfilling. After her performance in the HBO Miniseries, Love & Death, her monotone personality has shifted thought patterns in an exhilarating matter.

In His Three Daughters, Coon is Katie, Lyonne is Rachel, and Olsen is Christina. They are three sisters who are trying to be with their father at his home in New York to aid him until he passes. This is not an easy task, and one where tolerance and many moving parts are mentally taxing. Katie is the sister that is eager and setting all the blocks up to honor her father after his death. Rachel has always been in their father’s home and provided a lot for him before his health got worse. With Christina, she is just there to make each moment for their father comfortable. Their father is Vincent (played by Jay O’Sanders). The dynamics of the sisters take all kinds of paths. Rachel smokes weed and gambles continuously, Katie keeps being provoked by Rachel’s poor etiquette, and Christina is just trying to see things through properly. His Three Daughters is a revelation of how families can feel in the times where they are about to lose someone. Mindfulness flows through this film, with constant reminders of how the complexity of death lingers.

The sisters living in this limbo create the depth and perception of presence through the writing in His Three Daughters. The film rumbles like a dramatic stage production as the characters sit in unstable circumstances. The shaky feelings are a lot to take in mentally in the film and it’s seen in every conversation. This is where the writing blows its audience out of the water.  The truth is hard to hear—especially when it is around the subject of who has been more responsible or who is winning in the race of loyalty.

Audacious is the adjective that came to mind in the representation of His Three Daughters. It is  vivid in the way of being an open book. Writer and director Azazel Jacobs knows how to make dynamics of conflict have an intense sense of hurt and hatred. He also knows how to move it around and bring in acceptance.  Acceptance is not easy in His Three Daughters, but it does come around with connection in coming together. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.