SCRUTINY

It’s ironic that, in many ways, modern innovations in communication have made us more isolated than ever before. James Quinn taps into these complex feelings in Scrutiny, a tender short story following a young man, Nathan (Isaiah Bobb-Semple), riding on a bus through south London after hanging out with his mate Kwame (Kevin Siaw-Badu). In just 10 minutes, Quinn leads the audience through an odyssey of anxious rumination, placing them right inside the spiralling mind of the protagonist. The direction and performances are all flawless, resulting in a vulnerable and very modern portrait of self doubt.

SCRUTINY immediately announces its bold visual style with the use of a grainy, analogue filter. The visual noise serves as a relevant metaphor for how Nathan is thinking and feeling, and it also reveals the film’s keen attention to detail. Through careful choices, Quinn excels in delivering a subjective experience of the protagonist’s anxiety, which Bobb-Semple is able to articulate through subtle non-verbal cues. The camera pays particular attention to Nathan’s hands as he nervously taps the back of his phone, he erratically fiddles with his bracelet, and all the while the music is pulsing arhythmically. The audience doesn't yet entirely understand what the source of the tension is, but it’s clear that Nathan is feeling it intensely.

The editor Christopher Morris must be given particular credit for how gripping SCRUTINY is. The film unfolds very quickly and discloses new information to the audience in the form of a flashback to before Nathan got on the bus. Reclined on a grassy hill with his friend Kwame, the two lay back comfortably, beers in hand, and worries apparently far far away. “You up for this again?” asks Kwame, to which Nathan enthusiastically replies “Sure!”. It’s a simple but sweet scene, unsubtly juxtaposed by the scenes on the bus which soon interrupt the relaxed flashback. Before long, the audience returns to the flashback, but this time it’s different. The script is the same, but the vibes are entirely off, and the once easy conversation which earlier flowed like honey is now stilted and awkward. Kwame seems less interested, and Nathan far less sure of himself. It’s a superb use of filmmaking, reminiscent of Kurosawa’s Rashomon, casting doubt on how the interaction between the two friends really took place. The sound design and quick editing on the bus becomes more and more overbearing as Nathan continues waiting for a text from Kwame. Passengers on the bus appear to be staring at Nathan, and it begins to look like something from a horror film.

SCRUTINY reads as a narrative deeply rooted in the neurodivergent experience. It’s not uncommon for people with autism and ADHD to replay memories obsessively, to overanalyse social situations unhealthily, and to feel overwhelming feelings of shame and regret for perceived slights. Quinn should be praised for how he chooses to dignify Nathan’s emotional experience; he doesn’t downplay Nathan’s feelings of embarrassment and alienation. The narrative even gives its characters some form of resolution when Kwame reassures Nathan that he had a great time earlier that day, absolving his friend of any guilt for asking for some support. It’s a beautiful gesture and provides a great sense of closure. Persistently, the film ends on a different note as he finally arrives at Maria’s party. The final shot is devastating and all too familiar for anyone with experience of ‘masking’ in social scenarios. The ending suggests that the events of the film are more than likely to repeat until Nathan can learn to be comfortable being himself around his friends and not needing to perform what he thinks they want him to be. It’s a complex cocktail of emotions, with the vast weight of expectations of Nathan being self imposed. It’s a seriously impressive narrative to tell in just 10 minutes.

Watching SCRUTINY through the lens of the neurodivergent experience is a rewarding one, whether or not that’s what Quinn and the crew intended. It should be praised for its depiction of neurodiversity in the black community especially, considering the fact that autism is overwhelmingly represented in media by white introverted boys. What stands out watching SCRUTINY is the sheer amount of empathy that is afforded to these characters. Although Nathan’s experience may not be one that every viewer has experienced in their life, through confident and motivated filmmaking choices, the movie may enable audiences to better understand and identify with a perspective outside of their own.