Coming Home in the Dark

A dark, unpredictable, at times shocking, raw, evil and uncompromising revenge-abduction thriller from New Zealand that has an atmosphere that is at times uncomfortably dense. A school teacher must confront the dark sins of his past when he and his family are ambushed and kidnapped by two vagrants and the ugly truth slowly begins to surface. The film may have a slower pace, but it managed to keep my attention. It manages to be suspenseful (the twist at the 15 minute mark is downright shocking), the villain is a proper sleazeball (even if his accent is downright awful), the craftsmanship is fine and even though there is no explicit violence (if there was, I would go even higher with the rating), the film still managed to feel realistic and uncomfortable. Solid. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 4/5 Music 2/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 7/10. (10/05/2021)

A narratively very simple horror thriller about a likeable family's harrowing encounter with a duo of violent thugs. A confident piece of acting and directing that stands out for its dark and unrelenting atmosphere and also for a cruelty that at certain moments shows no restraints. (10/01/2021)