Since the invention of the motorized vehicle, the road trip has been a great way to bond with your fellow humans, or simply blow off some steam. Especially on long stretches of roadway that are essentially deserted. Nothing says freedom like the open roads and that feeling of control. How many films have been based on this simple premise? I can think of more than a couple. This setup is especially useful for horror or thrillers - for almost the same reasons. That sense of control and freedom, the desolation and then... that moment when you realize it's all a lie. Those feelings belonged to someone, or something else, and all you have left is isolation and fear. When Priss and her best friend Anna decide to pick up a stranger on their trip to vent, down some stretch of desert road, we immediately realize something is not quite right. Maybe it's the unusual way this hitchhiker begins to act. Maybe it's those awkward looks or the trophy like items he carries with him. Whatever the reason, Priss clearly has no love - or trust - for this strange man. We all know what's coming next and to some extent, us viewers are correct. However, in the grand tradition of modern movies, things are not quite what they appear to be. Following a mass text message Priss receives, warning of a killer on the prowl by the LA County... things just got a shitload more dangerous. I'm sure you can visualize what happens next... but I have a feeling you're probably not quite expecting what happens after that. For myself, "Trunk Space" was an excellent short film that set itself up perfectly. I had some real fun with this one. I suspect most people will. Technically, this is one of those movies that doesn't have even a hint of that "indie" look we've all come to expect. Yes. There are good looking micro budget films. There's also films that are just good looking - and "Trunk Space" is one of them. This movie would have no problem being showcased along side a similar title, from a large production studio. It simply glides from start to finish without a hitch, all the while looking fantastic. The character portrayals from our leading ladies is also fantastic. Jessica Jade Andres and Kate Krieger, completely embody the reckless young ladies many of us older folk expect to see. Yes yes. We do stereotype anyone under eighty, but all jokes aside, they fit the bill perfectly. When things begin to shift during the last act of the film, they continue to remain believable as we, myself, completely change our views on the entire film. In similar fashion, Jordan Turchin embodies that creepy passenger we all think about when witnessing that "thumb" on the road. Perhaps so much... that we almost expect he is not a deranged killer. We expect his creep factor is placed on purpose to trick us. Maybe it is. Or maybe we should expect at any moment he'll reach into his shirt and pull out a chainsaw. That doesn't happen by the way, although it would be cool if it did, but my point is that Mr Turchin also fits perfectly into Max Silver's little desolate world. Perfectly indeed. When the credits rolled I was left slightly conflicted. I can't reveal my exact emotions, because that would destroy the ending, yet my "sympathy" emotions were all out of whack. This is by no means a negative to this movie. It's a positive all the way. Generally writing, "Trunk Space" is a production that simply had all the pieces come together properly... and work. From the perceived production values, to the acting, straight through to the bizarre twist at the end. It just worked. For me anyhow. To the cast, crew and Mr Silver himself... well done and bravo. I had a blast with this one.
