Dylan K. Narang’s All I Need begins like any other film in the ‘women in captivity’ subgenre. However, within a few minutes, it becomes very apparent that All I Need is going to be something wholly different. From the film’s opening shot a languid style is established as the camera slowly reveals a young woman, Chloe (Caitlin Stasey), trapped and bound in a room. What works so well in these opening moments is the manner in which the action is shot, exclusively in close-ups, which bars the viewer from fully absorbing the setting. Instead, we get tidbits of the scenario at hand, and in the process, adding a layer of uncertainty.
As simple as the film may seem there’s more to the story. We’re later introduced to sad-sap Andrew (Markus Taylor), a down-and-out father who is currently struggling with finances and falling behind on his child support. A mysterious phone call and package drives Andrew into a new mysterious occupation as a delivery man for an enigmatic figure, forcing Andrew into a moral grey area in an effort to support his daughter.
Meanwhile, Chloe makes various, and daring, escape attempts as some of the other women are snatched by a masked man, one by one, and presumably murdered (off-screen). Thus, with the clock ticking the main goal of our protagonist is to escape the room intact. The scenes within this enigmatic room are intense and mysterious. There is a sense of heightened tension as Chloe does everything in her power to get out alive and not end up in the clutches of her masked captor. Similarly, Andrew’s storyline remains highly mysterious and at a certain point, one begins to wonder if his story is going anywhere. Stick with it. By the end of it all, it comes together quite neatly and satisfyingly.
AllI Need is a tense and thought-provoking thriller directed with surprising talent and flair. A film like this could have easily fallen prey to boredom and predictability, but because Narang so masterfully controls the camera, we are methodically shown bits and pieces of the larger puzzle. Narang is calculated and meticulous in his execution and in doing so compels the audience to keep watching with focus from beginning to end. All I Need is, in fact, a horror film, but it manages to transcend the genre, so much so that it feels something entirely its own.
For more information follow the film’s Official Facebook Page. All I Need is now available to rent via Google Play and YouTube
