Borderline

A dark comedy thriller feature film written and directed by Jimmy Warden in his directorial debut and starring Samara Weaving, Ray Nicholson, Erc Dane and Jimmie Fails.

 

The time is the 90s, the place is Los Angeles, and one disturbed man has a plan: he is going to break into the house of a famous actress and singer and marry her. The man is Paul (Nicholson), and in order to execute his plan, he needs the help of two associates: Penny (Alba Baptista), a young French woman and Calhoun (Patrick Cox), a single-eyed guy. The unfortunate celebrity is Sofia (Weaving), who lives in a large mansion and whose partner is DeVante (Fails), a professional basketball player. So, on the day of the event, the three culprits put their plan in motion by abducting a pastor and Bell (Dane), Sofia's bodyguard, along with his daughter, Abby (Yasmeen Kelters) and her aunt, Eleanor (Catherine Lough Haggquist). They then bring these people to the mansion, where more bad things ensue.

 

A trio of more or less lunatics execute an outrageous plan, and along the way, they commit some brutal murders and assaults. The plot is quite interesting and it is the three criminals that steal the show, with their wild and shocking behaviour and actions that result in scenes filled with dread, tension and madness. There is as much brutality as there is dark humour in this story that is born from a mentally ill man's dream. The soundtrack adds great value to the film as it consists of tracks by artists including The Cardigans, Annie Lennox, The Flaming Lips and Nicola Cruz.

 

The screenplay is less interested in moving the plot forward, focusing instead primarily on character exploration, and the highlights are the bad guys and the chaotic scenes and a couple of weird scenes that involve a policeman singing and dancing and two women singing together. Generally, the story moves slowly, and it is the characters and drama that get the spotlight.

 

As mentioned, it is the three kidnappers who get the most attention, especially Paul and Penny. Paul is a disillusioned person who imagines that a specific person is actually someone else. Furthermore, he is also a psychopath and capable of murder. Just like his legendary father, Ray Nicholson is terrific in portraying his character very convincingly, who in this case, is a character who constantly grins as he lives in his own world and vividly expresses his thoughts. Penny is equally dangerous and deranged, played very vividly by Baptista. Her character is a woman who enjoys violence and (like Paul) seems to live in her own world too, and both Baptista and Nicholson, unlike these two, Calhoun is quieter. As for the rest of the protagonists, they are simple people who are trying to deal with and survive the unbelievable situation that is unfolding.

 

Through Paul and Penny, this feature explores mental health, particularly borderline personality disorder and violent tendencies. Additionally, obsession is a major theme, particularly fan obsession. Moreover, this is also a story about self-expression, finding happiness and having a soulmate.

 

A dark comedy. A crime thriller with murder, kidnapping and home invasion. The intriguing plot is a key feature that makes this film worth seeking out, and Nicholson's and Baptista's performances are the aspect that stands out the most.

Borderline will be available on Digital Download from 8th September 2025.