A news editor and aspiring journalist receives a dashcam video that turns a simple crime into a government-level conspiracy theory.
Suspenseful, realistic, weak at times, but worth your while. The intentionally misleading opening shot will put a smile on your face as it indicates how much the hero goes out of the house. Overall, the film’s premise relies on pseudo-realism. Facebook, FaceTime, the vernacular, the body language, and even the way the news is edited are all indicators that these are real people like you and me (I was about to use “normal”, but that is a term I don’t understand anymore). Upon introducing the main characters, producer/writer/director Christian Nilsson cuts right to the chase with the landing of the footage (inciting incident) circulating the rumours of the alleged conspiracy theory.
What the audience encounters next is a perfect example of how the editing creates meaning and builds up the suspense. As an editor, there is so much I could tell you about the details of the film’s editing and the areas it focuses on, but chances are I’m gonna bore you to tears. Personally, I think the idea of the conspiracy and the way it is built up in that sequence is the best part of the film. It is the part where you are still mystified and unsure; you want to believe Jake is up to something, and the part where you really want to know how the story will end. From the moment Jake calls Mara and then exits the building, though, it somewhat loses that grip, giving an anticlimactic feeling. The reason behind my argument is that it answers questions about specific facts, but it doesn’t question broader issues related to the facts provided – in other words, how factual the facts are. I guess every investigating mind can approach it differently, but this is the way Nilsson does, and I respect it.
Don’t let that discourage you, though. Dashcam lasts only an hour and twenty minutes. It is a low-budget indie shot during lockdowns, and the cast does a great job. It is an entertaining film to take your mind off things, wonder what you would have done if you were Jake, think about the ending for a minute, and go to bed. Francis Ford Coppola and Brian de Palma are Nilsson’s apparent influences – The Conversation (1974) and Blow Out (1981), respectively – but comparing Nilsson to them would be unfair as they were far more experienced and studio-level filmmakers.
Fun facts:
The film is about a New York Governor’s scandal that premiered the same day a real-life New York State Governor was accused of a sexual scandal.
Also, coincidentally, there were two Dashcams in 2021. I’ll follow up right after this with the second one.
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