Lyndsey Marshal stars in Jed Hart’s debut feature film, Restless. Ahead of its release on April 4th, the Phoenix Film team share their thoughts on the movie below.
Dáire’s Review
Nicky is an overworked nurse who enjoys simple pleasures when she can: baking, classical music and occasionally watching snooker. Her life becomes restless when a hard-partying menace moves in next door. Irreconcilable differences quickly lead to an ever-escalating feud.
Notable audio mixing and effects firmly place you in Nicky’s head, knowing when to rise and step away entirely, enticing the audience to co-sign each counter-offensive. Similarly, there are several impressive shots and choices in edits and lighting on display, especially from our first time feature director Jed Hart.
These all add to performances by Aston McAuley, our loud, uncompromising neighbour from hell, and Lyndsey Marshal who is pushed further and further in pursuit of a good night’s sleep. Marshal does well letting out glimpses of gallows humour, allowing us to indulge in moments of schadenfreude without detracting from the dramatic spiralling madness.
If you’ve ever had to deal with a nuisance neighbour or inconsiderate colleague, Restless is particularly cathartic viewing.
Daragh’s Review
From director Jed Hart, coming off his previous work on short films with Barry Keoghan’s Candy Floss and Creative England’s Daddy’s Girl, comes a brand-new revenge thriller, Restless. Our story follows a struggling widow, Nicky (Lyndsey Marshall) who’s suffering from empty nest syndrome after her son has moved to university. She is also coming to grips with the loss of her parents while juggling her job as a kind, well-mannered caregiver in a local nursing home.
Living an isolated life behind closed doors, this all gets turned upside down when some strange new neighbours move into the house next door. The loudmouthed Dean (Aston McAuley) keeps Nicky up every single night during unspeakable hours with non-stop partying and raving. Over the course of several days, we step into Nicky’s shoes as she suffers through bouts of sleep deprivation which not only tarnishes her mental and physical state, but also her friendship with Kevin (Barry Ward). Through doing some investigation, the pair soon learn that these neighbours are a potential danger. Nicky plans to exact revenge and take her nights back in a suspenseful psychological experience that will have you on the edge of your seat.
When looking at this film with an objective, critical lens, at first glance, it’s exactly what you’d expect from this kind of idea. A simple, true to life story with sprinkles of black comedy about the past. This mainly blossoms through Kevin who attempts a romantic relationship with Nicky, while also being unique by asking a question everyone has thought about when buying their first home. What are my neighbours like?
The movie is one hundred percent worth your time. In the era of the film industry that we’re currently present in, with an obsession of banking from nostalgia with sequels, prequels, spin-offs and reboots, it’s refreshing to see many independent and original concepts get the attention and screen presence they deserve.
The acting was astonishing. Our three leads of Lyndsey Marshall, Aston McAuley and Barry Ward all put in stellar performances that never sound unnatural or scripted. To put it best, it’s true to life and will carry relatability for many people. We all understand the frustration of a late-night party while trying to sleep or dealing with the process of grief. The cast come together and encapsulate these emotions and scenarios exceptionally well.
The score does a fantastic job of gripping your attention from the slow, booming, rising tone during the car scenes to the soft and angelic feeling of classical music and its ties to Nicky which I won’t spoil. There were plenty of tricks with the editing and lighting that really do make you feel uncomfortable and uneasy, from the room spinning full circle to constant flickering of lights during one party moment.
The story, while simple and predictable at times, does have some satisfying payoffs towards the very end that genuinely caught me by surprise. The only criticism is that some portions of the script can be quite slow. Especially during the beginning and middle segments, mainly focusing on the mundane rush that comes with daily life. However, this is still interesting to watch. Once the revenge storyline gets going, it’s a thrill to watch from start to finish.
Restless is released in Irish cinemas on April 4th
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