Jimmy Warden makes his directorial debut with Borderline, a comedy thriller that promises a game of cat and mouse amidst a home invasion scenario, yet delivers far more than you'd expect. This twisted little indie thriller certainly surprised me.
Duerson (Ray Nicholson), a helplessly romantic sociopath escapes from a mental institution and invades the home of Sofia (Samara Weaving), a '90s pop superstar. He just wants to be loved; she just wants to survive.
The marketing and synopsis for Borderline will have you believe this is very much a two person show set, for the majority, in one location. While that would have been fun to watch, what Warden does with his film is thankfully something a little more quirky and, as a result, far more interesting. There's way more characters in play than expected and they all intertwine throughout, culminating in a rather bizarre finale that treads a fine line but just managed to keep me invested.
This day and age, dealing with a subject such as mental health in your film needs a careful approach, and Warden does a decent job in making Duerson feel like a rounded character rather than just an outright caricature. By the end of the film, it's clear as day that Duerson is as much a danger to himself than he is others, the end credits hitting rather hard in particular. The music from the Mondo Boys works so well with the tone of it all, persisting with the offbeat tone the film carries with it throughout.
The performances on show add to the quirky nature of the film, Ray Nicholson in particular inheriting the signature smile from his father to bring about a sense of unease to proceedings. This is the second time we've seen him with a bit of an unnerving smile aimed at a famous popstar so he better avoid getting typecast moving forward. Samara Weaving is always choosing such interesting projects and, while she may not have the most to do here, her screen presence and fine comedic timing sees her add undeniable quality to the film. The MVP though is Alba Baptista as Penny, a fellow escapee who aids Duerson in the home invasion - her desire to bring such pain to various characters throughout both entertain and disturbing in equal measure.
Borderline feels like it could easily become a cult classic, Jimmy Warden delivering a film that, with a little refining, could easily be a surprise hit. If you're looking for a film to support this week, make it this quirky indie thriller.
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