Fantastic Fest 2008

Brief Summary:
A very pregnant woman and her husband are trapped in the woods in a demolished sedan and her water has just broken. They are in a really bad situation, and it gets a LOT worse. Full Description
Bam! The opening shot of THE WRECK fires out of the barrel with a sting of gunpowder, hitting you right in the gut.

A very pregnant woman Julia (Judy Maier) and her husband Frank (Aaron Lohr, NEWSIES!) are trapped in the woods in a demolished sedan and her water has just broken. They are in a really bad situation, and it doesn't appear to be getting better anytime soon. The clock spins back and we see our young couple preparing for a weekend getaway, perhaps their last before being inundated with the trials of first-time parenthood. The somewhat idyllic tone, however, seems sinister with the knowledge from the opening shot that this couple is very soon going to be fighting for survival in the worst of all possible locations for childbirth.

Adding to the viewer discomfort is the unwelcome arrival of Chuck (Jonathan Cherry) just before they leave for the mountains. Chuck is the classic bad seed, the family prodigal son, but there is a past between him and Julia that puts the entire family on edge.

In the vein of OPEN WATER and DEAD CALM (but with no ocean, mind you), THE WRECK shrinks the framing of nearly all of the action to a claustrophobic space (this time the inside of a four-door sedan), causing an attenuated mishmash of human emotion: fear, mistrust, hatred, horror, bravery, self-doubt and in the end, raw survivalism.

I refuse to talk about the trauma of what happens past the 20 minute mark in the film when our young couple wakes up from their crash. Experience it for yourself. Sufficed to say, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and was slapping high-fives at the end of the film. James Jones takes the action in bold directions and delivers more brutal intensity than you would think possible from two people pinned in a car wreck. (Tim League)

THE WRECK is competing in our AMD Next Wave competition. Director James Jones and members of the cast will be in person to present the film and host a Q&A following the screening.