Some of the best suspense thrillers work by placing protagonists in stressful situations while constricting their parameters of operation. Babak Anvari’s ‘Hallow Road’ begins on a mysterious note with context clues of franticness. There’s a dinner table with plates of food untouched. Broken glass is on the floor that may have partially been swept up, and a bloody shoe. What happened in this household that caused all of this commotion (and for it to be discarded entirely)? But this is one of the only times the film moves at a measured pace. For the duration of its under-90-minute runtime, it’s in a state of manic and terrified propulsion all within the confines of a car ride. Once somebody we love is in trouble, many would move heaven and earth to get to them. Anvari invests in all the emotions that would arise in such situations, which proves to be an anxious, harrow-inducing narrative.
“Hallow Road” doesn’t waste time giving an extensive backstory centered around a family of three. Instead, it allows exposition and dialogue to fill in the blanks as two parents, Frank and Maddie (played by the terrific pairing of Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys), are frantically trying to get to their daughter Alice (Megan McDonnell). By accident, while driving down a dark road, Alice hits a young girl with her car. At that point, Frank and Maddie spring into action and try to find her. Maddie is a paramedic, so she attempts to talk Alice through using CPR over the phone. There are two sides to Maddie at war written all over her face – the concerned mother and the medical professional. Meanwhile, Frank is trying to keep things as orderly as possible. On one hand, he has his daughter’s wellbeing at the front of his mind. Maddie thinks of Alice but has the professional duty of keeping the injured girl alive.
Related Film Reviews:
‘The Surrender’ Has Something Hidden Beyond A Standard Horror/Grief Mashup
The destination to get to Alice is quite far, and that’s where writer William Gillies entertainingly fills in the blanks in how the story switches up its delivery. The frantic calls between Pike, Rhys, and McDonnell’s characters are exhilaratingly tense enough. But you can see how a film that strictly relies on that would be better suited for a short. That’s where Anvari gives the film over to his talented duo to carry it through. A fixed viewpoint looking inside the car that cinematographer Kit Fraser chooses allows for Frank and Maddie’s heated discussions and physical expressions to set in. There’s a specific reason why Alice decided to take a drive earlier in the evening, and the parents have to reason with that. Are they somewhat responsible for this calamity, thus landing their daughter in this predicament? A long car ride is fertile ground for some existential questions to happen.
When you think you have “Hallow Road” figured out, Anvari flips the script. Frank and Maddie reason with how far they will go to protect their daughter as time passes. Do they call the police? Will it be better once they have gotten to Alice? From there, the literal perception of the film changes into sinister territory. An element the parents don’t account for is a component introduced towards the end of the film’s second act. If there was a ticking clock to reach “Hallow Road’s” ultimate goal, it gets turned up considerably. There’s a world where the fairytale-like elements of Anvari’s picture would immediately take over, venturing into conventional genre territory. But one pillar that keeps this dramatic sandwich with two toppings together is fear — fear arising from a mother and father thinking they’ve done everything they can to shield their child from the world’s unexpected monkey wretches — only for that to fall by the wayside as soon as a perilous situation causes you to think on the fly.
One could see how characters conversing over a phone for much of a film’s duration could wear thin. Despite those worries, “Hallow Road” keeps things fresh – adding a different ingredient to the mix to keep the characters and the audience in shock and surprise.
Hallow Road premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival.
