Second Draft of Review - Laura and Megan

Megan and I have now created a second draft for the review. After having a lesson on the structures of the review, and annotating some more ourselves, we have added a paragraph and changed the ordering slightly. Here it is...

James Dunham and Laura Geall make their directorial debut in this gripping representation of domestic abuse. Dunham and Geall have breached societal expectations by having the female as the abuser, with the main star, Sam (Mark Summers); playing the victim. With this the audience are cleverly reminded that what appears on the outside is not always the truth.

We see a character that represents that of a stereotypical teenage boy, “going out on the pull” with his friends, criticising his “clingy” girlfriend. However, as the college day ends, we enter a world that is far from stereotypical. Sam takes us through his relationship with Amy (Megan Trigg) through a series of Ascending-style flashbacks. As his memories progress, we are made witness to the subtly-growing violence.

In the first flashback the audience are made to believe that Amy is to Sam, as Lady is to Tramp. This moment of intertextuality is not there simply to signify romance, but to indicate that Sam is being abused. By comparing their relationship to this oh-so-sweet Disney classic, Amy’s possessive nature is heightened; reflecting the way Sam is stifled in his relationship.

Amy’s psychotic and possessive tendencies are triggered by Laura, Sam’s “friend from college”. We see this in a flashback, when a cleverly edited transition reveals Amy and Sam’s confrontation after meeting Laura (Laura Geall, Snapshot). The moments of violence throughout the film are only shown to us subtly, reminding the audience of the ever-present theme that things are not always as they appear. Even in the final confrontation, Dunham and Geall rely only on the diegetic sound of Sam’s reaction. Hearing his pain is more chilling than seeing it; a cold reminder to the audience that abuse is not always visual.

Summers was given the difficult task of playing an abused college student. Even though his portrayal of the character was hardly Oscar-winning, it does nothing to ruin the overall feel of the film. Even when we see him look to the camera on occasion, Trigg’s outstanding performance just about manages to hold everything together. Her excellent portrayal of such a cold-hearted character, eerily similar to bunny-boiler Glenn Close, conveys her dominance and reiterates Sam’s weak character (whilst reminding us of Summers’ weak acting). Using unknown actors helps portray the social realistic aspect; however, the casting director needs to be fired - effective immediately.

The audience roots for Sam when they realise what he is going through. We hope for him to find a way out of this relationship that he is isolated in; being truly representative of its title: Trapped. Even by the end we see there is no escape for him; as Dunham and Geall reveal the most severe consequences of domestic abuse.

The audience are left judging themselves for criticising Sam, and contemplating whether relationships are really as they appear. The truth of this social realist film hits home with the audience, leaving them with a truly chilling feeling.