Help (2022) Film Review

In my journey through independent cinema, I’ve come upon a fair dose of films that were made during the pandemic. It’s a message written in the presentation of a film like a message permanently inked on a business card. The curious thing is sometimes it’s just noticeable, but there are times when you just can’t tell. I’m talking about finely crafted films where details are taken care of. Help is one of those films.

With a first act so mysterious it makes you forget about the circumstances in which it was made and you’re bewitched by a promising plot. The best? it delivers. Fully. Help is an indie thriller that’s good enough to make you think for a while. Its possible characters are restricted enough to allow you to enter the “this could happen to you” territory.

Help tells the story of Grace. Her boyfriend has just broken up with her and she’s decided to call Liv, a friend who’s now living in the countryside with her boyfriend Edward. Grace decides to head over to Liv’s where they’ll celebrate Edward’s birthday.

I won’t share much of what happens next. But be aware of reactions and awkward looks. Perhaps Grace should have thought better.

Characters in Help aren’t perfect. Sometimes they are inconsistent, and it’s hard to believe they don’t have suspicions about the acts committed by their peers. But Help doesn’t let you think much about it. The plot is steady and moves fast enough to drive you towards an ending that works better if you don’t question some of the decisions taken by the characters. There are some films that require you to let go. I would advise you to let yourself be carried sometimes.

Of course, the experience is improved by the technical feats of the production. Editing and sound design are hugely important in Help. They work towards building more tension when it has to appear as a scene resource. Examples abound but the scene in which the two girls are looking for “something”, is just tuned to perfection.

The chronology in Help is somewhat confusing. Times don’t add up, but don’t let this ruin your experience. This isn’t the time to ask questions about what happened before or after. The dynamics of character relationships are clear and tense enough to give you the idea that some friendships are far from innocent. And even worse, they should be mistrusted.

This is a well-built thriller and much better executed than the formula-based ones you see every day in streaming services. It has enough twists to make the third act a thing of beauty and it doesn’t pull any unnecessary strings to make the audience feel better. Help isn’t the kind of film you will gladly talk about minutes after. On the contrary, you will check and recheck who’s laying beside you. Perhaps, trust won’t be as natural as ever. You will definitely think twice before opening your heart again.

But I want to finish off with a statement. I don’t mean to hide the fact that Help is an achievement in film production. 12 days to shoot, a very shortened crew, and a situation that’s far from ideal. This needs to be celebrated and talked about. 

Sometimes you only need the drive to tell a story, and enough knowledge to produce one of the most difficult genres ever. So, cheers to that!

Federico Furzan

Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.