If you have Apple's iPhone or any Apple device since 2011, then you might be familiar with a wi-fi and Bluetooth service known as AirDrop, which allows users to transfer files, photos, videos and more between any Apple product that uses Mac OS. There's even an option that allows a person to see what other Apple users are nearby. Reportedly, this has allowed people to get sent files that they did not want. In 2017, two women were sent unwanted nude pictures while commuting, likely on a subway train. This incident was known as cyber-flashing. However, this feature could also allow for other unwanted things in what could be classified under the larger category of cyber-bullying, which is rampant on social media. This AirDrop function is similar to social media, but instead of having to download a specific app like Facebook or Twitter, AirDrop is already built into Apple's phones and it removes what could be considered a layer of protection, although what is done in this horror film could have been done with any social networking app, especially one that's location-based like Grindr.
Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus and The Bold Type) stars as Violet Gates, a therapist who counsels abused women or women who were in abusive relationships. She's a widowed single mother of a five-year-old boy. This is four years after she got out of an abusive relationship herself. The majority of the film takes place on the night of her date with a guy she's been messaging online after finally deciding to get back into the dating game after all those years. She goes to a fancy restaurant on the 38th floor of a skyscraper in Chicago.
Brandon Sklenar (1923 and It Ends With Us) co-stars as Henry, a photographer who is very handsome and charming. He also doesn't seem like he would ever be abusive. He did bring his camera with him to the date. He seems like a really good guy otherwise. The problem is that Violet gets a message from an anonymous user that is telling her that she needs to kill him. This anonymous user begins to blackmail her, texting her if she doesn't kill Henry, then this anonymous user will kill her son and her sister who is babysitting the little boy. Because Violet has security cameras in her house, she can see that there is a masked man in her house.
Because the messages can only be sent by someone who has close proximity, Violet knows that the blackmailer is someone in the restaurant. Director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day and Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) proceeds to make it a guessing game of who the blackmailer is. As such, writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach introduce us to a series of suspects and presents them as potentially the one orchestrating this. It helps that the blackmailer has bugs all over the restaurant and has access to its surveillance system, so whoever it is can spy on Violet constantly. Landon does a great job of keeping us on the edge of our seats, guessing, as the screws continue to tighten. It's a great thriller that puts a traumatized woman between a rock and a hard place, a sky-high trap that she can't hope to escape.
The supporting cast, which includes the various people in the restaurant, are all amazing and amusing in their own ways. Landon also gives them the space to stand out. Chief among them is Matt, played by Jeffery Self (Search Party and Gay of Thrones), an improv comedic actor who works as the waiter or server for Violet and Henry on their date. He's the comedic relief for sure and he delivers. Another standout is Jen, played by Violett Beane (God Friended Me and The Flash). She's Violet's sister and she's a hoot as well. Gabrielle Ryan (Power Book IV: Force and The Haves and the Have Nots) plays Cara, the bartender who slowly realizes something is wrong. Reed Diamond (Franklin & Bash and Homicide: Life on the Street) plays Richard, a man on a blind date who experiences a disappointment and finally, Travis Nelson (The Lake and I Am Syd Stone) plays Connor, a very suspicious man who keeps drawing Violet's eye. This is a nifty thriller that definitely pulled me in.
Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, suicide, some strong language and sexual references.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 35 mins.
In theaters.
