Movies
‘A Lot of Nothing’ Review – An Incoherent Social Thriller
The directorial debut from actor Mo McRae isn’t a traditional thriller about racism. In fact, the opening scene of A Lot of Nothing is more dramatic than it is exciting or suspenseful. Here the two main characters, affluent and successful couple James and Vanessa (Y’Ian Noel and Cleopatra Coleman), are watching an evening news segment about a local police incident; a Black child was reportedly killed by a white officer. The protagonists then enter a heated argument — really just verbal foreplay set to funky background music — after realizing the cop in question is their neighbor Brian (Justin Hartley).
A Lot of Nothing is described as a satirical thriller, but the longer the movie goes on, that description becomes less and less accurate. The closest thing to satire occurs when James and Vanessa go to their respective jobs the next day; he’s a corporate lawyer and she works in finances. They each have their individual as well as shared issues with their predominantly white and male colleagues, though Vanessa is the one more likely to express herself, albeit passive-aggressively. James, on the other hand, represses his resentment and hides behind rationale and legalese.
The movie briefly enters thriller territory once Vanessa confronts their neighbor next door. She takes her frustrations out on Brian, and in return the disgraced cop is threatening. He also makes a racist remark, which Vanessa reports to her husband. Things escalate as James talks to Brian, and before you know it, the cop is held at gunpoint in the couple’s garage. To make matters more complicated, James’ brother Jamal (Shamier Anderson) and his pregnant fiancée Candy (Lex Scott Davis) show up for a scheduled dinner that same night. James and Vanessa, as to be expected, do a poor job of concealing the secret in their garage.
The setup of McRae and co-writer Sarah Kelly Kaplan’s movie has potential, but much like James and Vanessa’s improvised abduction plan, the story unravels. The threat of the most urgent situation is deescalated far too soon; more time is spent distracting Jamal and Candy than with Brian, who’s out of sight and bound to a lawn chair. Meanwhile, the two occupationally disparate siblings trade dulled barbs while Vanessa makes no attempt to play nice with Candy, a vegan and conservationist.
A Lot of Nothing has a real identity crisis on its hands — is it a social thriller about neighbors, or is it a dramedy about two vastly different couples and their misunderstandings? McRae thinks both can coexist in the same space, yet the audience only ends up with tonal whiplash. One second this is a tense and racially charged suspense story, and the next it’s a sentimental tale of accepting hard truths. Strangely there is little to no overlapping of the two plots, even when Jamal and Candy get involved in James and Vanessa’s predicament.
If there’s anything that A Lot of Nothing does well and without confusion, it’s the acting. Noel and Coleman are as talented as they are flexible, and they mete out equally strong performances in both sides of this incoherent movie. Hartley doesn’t have as much to work with here, on account of how underused he is, but he plays enigmatic and standoffish well. If only the three leads had more substantial and longer scenes together; it feels like a wasted opportunity to not let them be the only characters in the story.
A Lot of Nothing makes a good first impression in that first act, but it abandons ship way sooner than anticipated. McRae, who shows promise as a filmmaker, simply did too much on his first run. He doesn’t have to play things straight; a sardonic thriller can work so long as the direction stays steady and focused. Had the movie taken a simpler and consistent approach to its complex topic, it might have been more effective.
A Lot of Nothing is now playing in select theaters, and is also available on VOD and at digital retailers.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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