Box

Director - Matt Shaw (Monster, Next Door)

Starring - Matt Shaw, Maria Lee Metheringham (Bite Night, Mask of Thorn), and Peter Eglitis 

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "He had paid for his crime with years on Death Row waiting for this moment and now he would pay for them again as the judgment continued"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     While most of the world has been shut down due to the pandemic most film studies has put a pause on filming.  That didn't stop several indie filmmakers who used this down time to be productive.  Many of them either finished projects that they had started prior to the pandemic while others started production on new films with a limited crew.  A few days ago I was introduced to filmmaker Matt Shaw on Facebook when a mutual friend tagged me on one of his posts.  He was announcing the completion of his film Box and was looking for reviewers.  I added Matt and we talked about the film which was done with a small cast.  He was kind enough to send over a link for me to check out.  Thanks Matt!

     The film follows a man who awakens in a small room.  The man was in prison after killing the man that he caught his wife cheating on him with.  Over time he is fed laxatives and forced to shit in the floor.  He uses the excrement to write on the walls but is soon forced to eat the feces and drink his urine before he discovers who the person is behind his torment and why he is doing it.

     I'll be completely honest here.  I didn't know what to expect from Box when I was first tagged in Matt's post but the film really surprised me.  I never expected a film to be so simple and claustrophobic to hold my attention like it did.  The acting in this one is extremely powerful and well done.  The director, Matt Shaw, also stars as the convicted murderer who is being tormented in his new cell.  Shaw shows a wide range of emotions and is able to do so without interacting with other cast members.  As I stated earlier, the cast is extremely small with only three people in the entire film.  Shaw is a highlight of the film but the other two supporting members do a solid job.  The story for this one is extremely simple but it works well with the small cast and with the social distancing guidelines.  Filming a feature length film is tough but filming one during a global pandemic is even hard.  Shaw was able to pull it off and it works.  The scenes do stretch on a little too long and the movie does overstay it's welcome but the overall movie is entertaining. Finally, the film is not a bloody one but if you want to see fake shit (I hope it's fake) smeared on a wall or ingested then you are in the right place!  Overall, Box is a highly entertaining character piece set against the backdrop of depravity and torture in a claustrophobic setting.  I definitely recommend checking this one out.