New Life (2023) – Film Review
Director: John Rosman
Cast: Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Tony Amendola
Certificate: TBC
By Roger Crow
‘A mysterious woman on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in. Their two unique stories inextricably link, as the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions’.
That’s the synopsis of what could have been a generic thriller, but writer/director John Rosman has done a fabulous job of breathing, er, new life into a well-worn genre.
“Traumatised young woman”
Imagine a cross between Fargo and any of the Bourne movies mixed with a Danny Boyle classic, and you get the idea. I’ll not reveal much more about which Boyle classic, because the less you know the better.
By the 40-45 minute mark, things start to slot into place, but until that point it’s a case of a traumatised young woman on the run across Oregon, and the dogged investigator determined to track her down.
Performances are excellent, the script is great, and direction, editing and cinematography are all fine. At times the score could have been dialled down a little, especially as it commits the cardinal sin of telling the viewer when to be scared, but that’s a rookie error that can be curbed in time.
“Hugely affecting”
If debut director Rosman wanted to walk into any major Hollywood studio and told them to hire him, I doubt he’d get much pushback.
The run time is perfect and though the humdrum epilogue leaves things open for a sequel, the scene before it involving two key protagonists and a glorious vista is hugely affecting.
Hopefully, that will tell you very little about one of the best indie genre thrillers of the year.
