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Trunk

average rating is 4 out of 5

Critic:

George Wolf

|

Posted on:

Oct 25, 2023

Film Reviews
Trunk
Directed by:
Marc Schießer
Written by:
Marc Schießer
Starring:
Sina Martens

You get the sense early on that the German thriller Trunk may have some pleasant surprises in store.


Malina (Sina Martens, terrific in a physically demanding role) wakes up to find herself badly injured and confined to the trunk of a car. The trunk is ajar, and before the driver returns to shut her inside, Malina is able to retrieve her cell phone.

 

And lemme guess, the phone’s almost dead, right?

 

FULL POWER.

 

Okay, then, here we go! Dialing a series of well-chosen contacts, Malina has to 1) stay alive, and 2) piece together what’s happening while she looks for an escape route.

 

Writer/director Marc Schießer proves a solid triple threat here, also handling the editing duties with a deft hand and solid instincts for pacing and tension.

 

The cinematography is on point, as well. And while this particular trunk seems unusually roomy, Schießer consistently lands precisely the type of claustrophobic camera angles and POV shots that Liam Nesson’s recent car-centric thriller Retribution tried in vain to achieve.

 

You may send up sniffing out some the mystery at play, but even so, Schießer’s crowd-pleasing finale will be no less satisfying. Trunk is a taut and well-constructed thriller, one that adds enough detours to a well-traveled road until it’s fun again.

 

So climb in, and enjoy the ride.

About the Film Critic
George Wolf
George Wolf
Indie Feature Film, Film Festival
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