Sci-fi and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly, especially when it involves alien lifeforms; there’s just something frightening about the wide expanse of the universe and how little we really know about who or what else is out there. That fear isn’t always represented by a huge invasion or abattle against a monstrous human-alien hybrid, though; sometimes a single, small room is enough to encapsulate our terror of the unknown.The Abandonis a single-location sci-fi horror that flew under the radar in a year against some sci-fi heavy hitters likeDune: Part TwoandAlien: Romulus. Besides the fact that the story is on a much smaller scale than these others,The Abandonstands out because its sci-fi elements serve more as a vehicle foran emotional story about isolation and mental health,specifically in relation to military service. It’s not a movie about spectacle, but it’s no less compelling thanother grand sci-fi epics, thanks in part to a dedicated performance by leadJonathan Rosenthal.
‘The Abandon’ Makes a Single Room a Thrilling Nightmare
InThe Abandon,Rosenthalplays Miles, a Gulf War soldier who isabducted by an unknown forcein the middle of combat within the first three minutes of the movie andawakens in a gray-tiled room with seemingly no exits.Cryptic messages begin appearingon the walls, however, including the ominous “abandon all hope.” Already severely wounded from combat, Miles attempts to patch himself and radio for help, but suddenly his world turns upside-down – literally;the room begins to spin violently in every direction, tossing Miles and his gear around like ragdolls. And that’s only the start of the strangeness of his situation. When the room stops moving again, some of his items become stuck on the ceiling out of his reach: different areas of the room apparently havedifferent fields of gravity. Once Miles finally reaches his satellite phone, he comes into contact with a woman named Damsey (Tamara Perry), also trapped in a room suspiciously like Miles’. The two attempt to work together to figure outhow to escape their predicament, but as the two get to know each other and the room’s tortures escalate to extreme temperature fluctuations and more gravity shifts, their personal experiences with military trauma begin to cause friction.
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“No one understands the lonely perfection of my dreams.”
Although Damsey’s voice is a near-constant presence in the movie,Rosenthal is the only actor that’s present onscreenfor nearly the entire movie. It’s a daunting task to shoulder the responsibility of making the tension of the movie believable when you’re the only physical presence for the audience, but Rosenthal pulls it off with ease,even doing his own stunts.The Abandonfeatures a surprising amount of action for a movie set in such an empty location– a location, I might add, that isactively shrinking as the movie goes on. At one climactic point, Rosenthal has topainfully contort himselfin order to survive being crushed, and that’s on top of the tumbling and the less obvious but still demanding physicality needed to convey the pain of the room’s other tortures.
‘The Abandon’ Tackles More Than One Type of Emotional Trauma
Canadian cult classicCubeis certainly enjoyable in its own right, andit’s rightly credited as an important precursor to other escape/trap movieslikeSawandEscape Room. ButThe Abandonfeels like an important evolution ofCube’s concept in a way that’s different from these others. First,Cubeis set in an entire compound, whileThe Abandonimpressively manages to generate the same suspenseand creative tortures using just a single space. It also includes a more defined examination of human nature alongside its “mysterious and deadly location” hook. Instead of the bizarre location and threat ofhorrifying (but inventive) deathsimply bringing out the worst in its victims,The Abandon’s characters are dealing with pre-existing traumathat the room heightens but also helps heal with a surprisingly moving sense of catharsis. Miles, of course, is in the middle of his military service when he’s abducted, and his rapport with Damsey brings to light his struggle to cope with the undiagnosed trauma with which that service has left him. He also reveals that his father wasabusive to him and his mother, leaving him to struggle with guilt and claustrophobia after a particularly terrifying incident.
Damsey, for her part, has also experienced trauma related to the military, albeit second-hand; she explains that her fiancé has a history of abusing her both mentally and physically, and he also served in the military. This experience temporarily colors her view of Miles, andshe descends into a panicbefore cutting off communication.Both Damsey and Miles have completely valid emotional baggage, some of it coming from the same exact place, while other parts are deeply personal to them.The Abandonnot only addresses the prevalence ofmental health struggles of those in the military, but also how that struggle extends beyond just those who serve, as well as how it’s sometimes compounded further by pre-existing trauma.
By the end of the movie, though, Miles and Damsey are able to recognize and confront their fears, giving more emotional weight toThe Abandonthan one might expect at first glance. Itmight not have the epic scope of its competition, but it’s more than worthy of your attention due to itsseamless balance of emotional payoff in the midst of a truly terrifying sci-fi scenario.
The Abandon
