MIFF 2023 Film Review - You’ll Never Find Me
Images courtesy of Common State.
From directors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell comes You'll Never Find Me, which had its Australian premiere at this year's MIFF, promising an unpredictable ride that would lead to a shocking finale. Shot on a miniscule budget and for the most part relying entirely on the performances of its dual leads, the film follows what happens when an unnamed Visitor (Jordan Cowan) arrives at the footstep of Patrick (Brendan Rock), barefooted and soaking wet in the middle of a freak storm.
Starting off, we go through the usual bottle horror tropes. The Visitor claims her car has broken down and just needs to use a phone so she can get it towed, a simple enough request, but Patrick's disgruntled nature and her arrival so late in the evening make this seemingly not an option. As suspicions arise about how she managed to find her way into an isolated and locked trailer park, it becomes apparent that neither is who they say they are. There's some decent tension, and for what it's worth, the overall feel of the film is excellent, every knock and creak of the caravan only enhancing the claustrophobic framing, while the warm cinematography provides a nice counterbalance to the uneasy and cold tone.
Likewise, the acting from both Cowan and Rock is well above the standard you'd expect from a microbudget Aussie debut, and if it weren't for their performances, I don't think You'll Never Find Me would be as effective as it is. It's disheartening for me to say, but I found the actual narrative to be gradually more unengaging as it went on. I was really holding out for that bewildering finale the MIFF program teased, but I instead found myself struggling to keep focused (granted this was the fourth film in my schedule for that day, so your mileage may vary), as the singular nature of the plot ended up feeling quite familiar after all. I can appreciate that it may have been attempting some meta commentary, but doing so this late into the game just didn't work for me. A line like "Girls like me get themselves into dangerous situations" might have been fine and dandy a decade ago when Cabin in the Woods inspired a wave of self-introspection in the horror scene, but nowadays it comes across more like gross victim blaming.
Though it shoots well above its budget in terms of its production value, and features potentially star-making turns from its central actors, You'll Never Find Me winds up feeling more like a sheep in wolf's clothing, fizzling out before it can attempt to wow you with its hypnotic but overlong conclusion.
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You’ll Never Find Me screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, running in metro cinemas August 3-20 and online August 18-27.
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