Twenty Twenty-Four – Indie Film Review

Hello everyone Kevin of Film Fervor here bringing you another Independent film review. Today we travel across the pond to Britain to discuss the psychological thriller Twenty Twenty-Four written and directed by Richard Mundy and starring Andrew Kinsler.

Twenty Twenty-Four tells the story of Roy, a lone scientist who has been sent to the Plethora holocaust bunker to get it prepared for the expected nuclear war that seems inevitable due to the drying up of world wide resources. Completely isolated from the world above Roy’s routine is interrupted by the bunker going into lock down mode when it detects massive radiation outside it’s walls and his sole source of information is the interactive A.I. He calls Arthur. Soon however things start to become unnerving for the lone scientist as his isolation begins to take it’s toll. After a strange message from North America Roy starts to wonder if he is truly alone in the bunker or if there is something sinister lurking in the shadows.

To me psychological thrillers only come in two verities the successful ones and the ones who try way to hard, thankfully Twenty Twenty-Four falls into the former category. It is very well thought out and makes use of it’s limited setting to a masterful degree. Taking place completely indoors the sense of claustrophobia is very much amplified on the screen and reflected in Andrew Kinsler’s character Roy. One of the most unique things about this British film is that it is almost entirely devoid of any human interaction with it’s main star and yet they were able to deliver well written and performed dialog to the viewers in the form of speaking to his computer screen, a very nice touch. Andrew Kinsler’s performance is very plausible and you can relate to Roy, after all how would any of us feel cut off from all human contact and with the added weight of being responsible for preparing a bunker for humanities survival.

The Production quality of this feature length film is outstanding. The cinematography is everything you could hope for in professionally done film. The picture is crystal clear which is very important especially when you are going to shoot many dark and low light scenes. Often these scenes become blurred and you can barely see what is going on however this is not the case with Twenty Twenty-Four. The use of the single camera set up is a throw back to the golden days of Film and really heightens the feeling of lonesomeness and brings the scare factor to a all time high that you just don’t get in a Multi camera set up that most modern day “Horror” films force down our throats.

The audio quality is also outstanding and shows a great deal of care and forethought from the production company. All of the one sided dialog is very clearly heard and has been meticulously cleaned of any annoying static or drop off you normally see in independent horror/thriller films. The music is creepy and the constant sound of a electronic heart beat monitor is enough to bring you to the edge of your seat and when it disappears in places it is almost unbearably quiet, which is of course what was intended.

One other thing I really need to mention is the absolutely stunning sets used in Twenty Twenty-Four. A lot of detail went into to making a bunker system that is not only functional but grounded in reality. This isn’t some space aged high tech facility that you might see in films like Resident Evil but a gritty and down to earth maze of piping and sterile tunnels that feels like something that might be under us right now. All of the diodes in the command hub are analog and can be found in any hardware store right now in your city and this is perfect for the sitting, after all it is set in the year 2024. The only futuristic tech in the advanced A.I. Screen that is voice activated and responds to Roy’s input and that is down played and only used to advance the plot in places and never becomes a crutch.

When all is said and done Twenty Twenty-Four is a brilliant psychological thriller that will leaving you questioning what is real and what isn’t right along with the protagonist. At just under two hours this feature length film is a must see for any fan of the thriller/horror genre and while there are few if any jump scares this one will certainly make you think long and hard before turning off your light.

I give Twenty Twenty-Four a very solid five out of five stars for it’s flawless production, excellent writing and the very stellar performance of the Andrew Kinsler.

Justin’s Notes – We’ve had this one in our queue for a while now and I have to say that I am so pleased we were able to get this one done in 2016. What a wonderfully written and shot film. This is the type of stuff I like, both from a film perspective and the set pieces side of things. I’ve always wanted to explore isolation in a fall-out bunker and this scratched that itch until I build one of my own.

Check out their official website at https://www.2024film.com/