Till Death
Screen Media
Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer
Director: S.K. Dale
Writer: Jason Carvey
Cast: Megan Fox, Callan Mulvey, Eoin Macken, Aml Ameen, Jack Roth
Screened at: Blu-ray, LA, 8/15/21
Opens: July 2nd, 2021 / August 10th, 2021 (DVD & Blu-ray)
Infidelity, at least cinematically speaking, is rarely a good idea. It might provide fleeting happiness and an escape from an insufferable marriage, but it will more than likely come to light in a very negative manner with disastrous and enduring consequences. If it remains a secret, then perhaps it’s merely a distraction or a way to cope with boredom, but, much more often than not, it leads to ruined lives and emotional wounds for all involved. In the worst cases, violence results and the end of the story is particularly grim. Till Death follows that narrative and takes it to quite a wild extreme.
It’s difficult to assess the quality of this film without giving away some of its plot, though the image on the poster and DVD cover already does that. Emma (Megan Fox) is an extremely unhappily married woman celebrating an anniversary with the manipulative and wealthy Mark (Eoin Macken). He brings her to a lake house where they spend a passionate night together. She awakens the next morning to find herself handcuffed to Mark, who seconds later kills himself. What little he says to her indicates that he knows full well about her affair with Tom (Aml Ameen) and that, even though he is no longer alive, he has prepared for her an inescapable situation meant to do one thing above all else: cause her to suffer.
Watching this film requires an incredible suspension of disbelief, and that’s a mode necessary for its entirety, as new plot developments seem even more outlandish and all-too-convenient. There’s something illogical about Mark not being around to watch the wife he detests so much squirm and, in all likelihood because of the blanket of snow and ice around them, freeze to death, a miscalculation Emma attributes simply to insanity. But he has also meticulously planned his vengeance, removing any sharp objects from the house and setting in motion a series of obstacles meant to ensure added misery for Emma should she manage to outwit him at any turn.
Anyone watching this film who catches a glimpse of the poster or even reads its title should have some idea of what it is they’re about to venture into, and it’s not as if it pretends to be something else. Its premise is decidedly thin and focused, featuring few characters and revealing Emma’s greater world and life only through select flashbacks. Emma, Mark, and Tom only exist in the context of what the film tells its audience, relayed through their verbal interactions and the way that they look at each other. There’s no need for much backstory or more extensive character development because this is a film that lives in the moment, a moment that is dominated by panic and a sense that there is no way to escape certain death for the recently widowed Emma.
There aren’t too many directions for this film’s plot to go, relying mainly on Emma’s resilience to remain calm and focused in the face of an unthinkable and terrifying scenario. Fox may not be the best guide for audiences along those journey, capable of conveying her displeasure with her surroundings but not all that much more. This reviewer doesn’t frequently travel to this kind of cinematic destination, and what’s on display here suggests that such fare is generally less than capable of delivering on the intrigue it introduces. While it’s going, the mood is mildly engaging, but there are too many twists that aren’t easy to digest or dismiss as impossible, and where it all ends makes the time spent to get there feel distinctly less worthwhile.
88 minutes
Story – C-
Acting – C
Technical – C
Overall – C