Last Straw (2024) Review: Alan Scott Neal’s Debut Feature Puts a Refreshing Spin on This Otherwise Familiar Single-Location Thriller
In Alan Scott Neal’s debut feature, Last Straw got my attention from the moment Nancy Osborn played by Jessica Belkin of TV’s American Horror Story fame was introduced in the movie. She’s a rebellious teenager who finds herself pregnant and as if her day isn’t frustrating enough, her dad (Jeremy Sisto) wants her to stay back for a late-night shift at their family diner, Fat Bottom Bistro (No, really. I didn’t make this up because that’s actually the name of the diner).
So, her dad wants her to take more responsibility for managing their diner since Nancy is supposed to be the manager. And despite her hesitation, she has no choice but to work late as told. For the first 20 minutes, the movie depicts how mean and insensitive Nancy turns out to be an unlikable protagonist. Like how she treats her co-worker and friend Bobby (Joji Otani-Hansen) or mistreats short-order cook Jake’s (Taylor Kowalski) down-syndrome brother, Petey (Christopher M. Lopes) for being incompetent in his job.
Nancy even goes as far as firing Jake because he criticises her and long story short, she ends up all alone working in the diner. Then comes the banging and noises from the outside that startles her. She suspects it might be those masked boys on mopeds trying to cause trouble earlier in the day.
The first half of Last Straw does a good job of establishing the characters and plot points foreshadowing the subsequent home diner-invasion mayhem. When the moment finally arrives, Neal doesn’t disappoint in keeping the tension taut and suspenseful as Nancy’s already stressful day unexpectedly turns into a nightmare once the darkness falls. It’s a thrilling game of survival and Neal heightens the terror using an effective combination of Andrey Nikolaev’s dynamic camerawork and Nathan Whiteside’s taut editing.
Neal also deserves praise for making good use of the isolated setting to generate a sense of ominous dread and claustrophobia within the confines of a diner against the middle-of-nowhere landscape. The same equally goes for his nifty use of lighting and shadows between the interior of the diner and the dimly lit outdoor location. It’s worth noting that the movie clocks only an 83-minute length and I’m expecting it’s going to be a relentless single-location thriller.
Until Neal decides to take an unlikely turn like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It’s the case of a love-or-hate moment of narrative shift that may frustrate viewers expecting a straightforward home invasion-type thriller. I think Neal’s bold but ambitious creative choice works well in shaking things up rather than sticking to the usual tried-and-true formula typically associated with this type of movie. I initially thought it was a mere storytelling gimmick as if Neal being the first-time feature director trying so hard to make an impression.
Fortunately, that isn’t the case as the otherwise abrupt shift in the plot from Taylor Sardoni’s screenplay justifies Neal’s sleight-of-hand direction, allowing the viewers to see things in a bigger picture. Amidst the Brian De Palma-style narrative, Neal doesn’t lose sight of the tension part in the second half of the movie, culminating in a series of visceral and blood-soaked moments of cat-and-mouse game.
Going back to Belkin, her character may have been an unsympathetic type and yet, she plays the role well enough to make me care about her teenage angst, frustration and mood swings, particularly with her facing an unplanned pregnancy at the beginning of the movie. When she is forced to deal with a threat, it’s hard not to root for her ordeal trying to stay alive. Apart from Belkin’s engaging lead performance, the movie also benefits from solid supporting turns, notably Taylor Kowalski and Joji Otani-Hansen in their respective roles as Jake and Bobby.
