Threshold – Independent Film Review

Hello everyone Kevin of Film Fervor here bringing you another independent film review. Today we will be discussing the upcoming 2017 horror film Threshold by director Jason Eric Perlman and starring Randy Wayne, Trilby Glover, Nicolas Oteri and Leslie Stevens.

Threshold centers on the lives of Aaron and Cynthia a young successful married couple who have not yet had the luck to have children. The happy couple decide that to prepare themselves for an eventual baby they will adopt a young child to raise as a practice run. Enter Caleb a curious and sweet young boy with mild sleep apnea who quickly steals their hearts and they make the adoption permanent. Things take a turn for the worse when during a late night party the young boy is killed in automobile accident and the couple then began to distance themselves from each other. Dark times soon descend on the entire world and an otherworldly figure appears in their house warning Cynthia the end is near and she must prepare.

It is rare for a film to surprise me. Most of the times the plots are predictable and I can pretty much guess what the outcome is going to be at just the first five to ten minutes of a film. That is why I am happy to say Threshold kept me guessing throughout the entire film. It starts out as your typical family drama and then slams a hard left turn on you that will leave you reeling and second guessing what you really think is going on. This is a testament to the outstanding quality of the writing and directing of Jason Eric Perlman. His use of the classic family break up tropes from a child dying are never heavy handed and are used masterfully in this suspenseful thriller that will have you bouncing back and forth between what is real and what is delusions. This it’s self is due to the absolutely outstanding acting of this very star studded cast.

The cast of Threshold are names that will be familiar to many people who had watched popular TV shows in the early 2000s. The performances of the three principle actors of the film are in a word ‘stunning’. Randy Wayne’s Aaron comes across as a man deeply troubled and wallowing in his own self hatred over what he believes is his sins and Trilby Glover’s Cynthia epitomizes the woman lost and seeking a reason for the actions of a cruel universe. This two are off set by the chilling and utterly creepy performance by Leslie Stevens in her roll of The Otherworldly bean who comes upon them in the night. All three of these actors put in such powerful performances that you will quickly become entirely immersed in the story and hang on to the edge of your seat to see how things turn out.

The cinematography of Threshold is beautiful and expertly done. The shots of each scene are done in such clear and spectacular fashion that you will believe you are watching a Hollywood blockbuster instead of an independent film. From the breath taking visual effects to the dark and creepy hallways of just a average suburban home at night each scene is painstakingly shot to give you a feeling of awe as well as dread as the story unfolds. The picture quality is top of the line and there are no artifacts or annoying over or under exposures that could take away from the film’s quality.

The audio of course also is on par with the outstanding camera work of the cinematography department. The musical score is dramatic and tense in the appropriate spots and then brings it down into a serene and mystical level when ‘The Woman’ and Cynthia are exploring their inner selves. The actors voices are always crystal clear which allows them to deliver the excellent dialog to the listeners without any hiccups or deadening all to common in smaller budget films.

Threshold is a rare gem of a film and one of the few sent to us here where I can find no flaws to speak of. It is a beautifully told story that will leave you guessing right up to the end. The production, writing and acting are some of the best I have seen in an independent film to date and at just shy of two hours is very worth your time and investment when it comes to theaters. I can’t recommend this film strongly enough if you like horror films. I give Threshold a perfect five out of five stars.