Ultrasound
Synopsis: Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he spots a house, knocks on the door and is greeted by an oddly friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie, is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon begins questioning her role in a bizarre experiment, fearing that she’s doing more harm than good.
When I tell you you’re not ready for Ultrasound, I mean that as a huge compliment because this film is a sci-fi mind melt. Boasting an outstanding cast and incredible writing, this is a film that you’ll want to tell everyone about. Three different stories, all equally mysterious, will reel you in with smartly laid-out breadcrumbs. Between exclamations of “Huh?” and “Wait, what?!” I have no doubt you will be hungry for more.
Vincent Kartheiser plays Glen with both a sense of an “everyman” quality and someone with long lingering PTSD. Chelsea Lopez brings a naivete to Cyndi that is spot on. Breeda Wool as Shannon allows the audience a small window into the insanity of this film. Alongside Bob Stephenson’s nuanced performance as Art, Ultrasound is a ping-pong match of converging stories and characters that will confuse, excite, and melt your brain.
The editing becomes increasingly important as the mystery unravels. Ultrasound is relentlessly twisted. There is so much happening in this script, you have to pay careful attention to it all. Ultrasound is best viewed with no preconceived notions. Throw out everything you think you know and take the ride. Tribeca audiences will eat this up. Ultrasound will keep you baffled long after the credits roll. It demands repeat viewing.
Check out the clip below for a preview:
DIRECTOR: Rob Schroeder
Isolation, survival, depression, organized chaos. These are heavy-hitting words to describe a film with a blunt force trauma of an opening. My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To is a film that’s been on everyone’s lips for a year now. It’s been killing it on the festival circuit, and rightly so. This slow-burn horror puts three siblings at odds due to one’s unique affliction. Jesse has become the taskmaster Mamabird, driving the survival of her family. Dwight is stuck between resentment and loyalty as his patience is running out. Youngest brother Thomas just wants to break free of his physical and emotional prison. Stunted in every way possible, what would life look like without his elder siblings? Is blood thicker than water? My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To begs that very question, quite literally.
Patrick Fugit as Dwight is heartbreaking. The cracks are evident from the very beginning. His conscience weighs on him as his desire for normalcy and peace are all-consuming. Ingrid Sophie Schram as Jesse is everything we need her to be. Focused and utterly exhausted. The survival of this family unit is driven by her sense of duty and not necessarily by love this many years in. She and Fugit are brilliant scene partners. Owen Campbell as Thomas is a nuanced mix of childlike and monster. You simultaneously sympathize and loathe him. These are striking performances.
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