Secrets. Every one of us has harboured secrets. While some are harmless and meaningless, others can be devastating and nefarious. In Netflix’s latest crime thriller, Locked In, no points for guessing which category of secrets the protagonists harbour. The film opens with Katherine (Famke Janssen) waking up from a coma after a near-fatal accident. She reveals to a neuro-clinical nurse (Anna Friel) that it wasn’t an accident but… an attempt to murder!
Cast: Famke Janssen, Rose Williams, Alex Hassell, Anna Friel
Director: Nour Wazzi
Streaming on: Netflix
Locked In explores the various types of prisons the protagonists find themselves in. Long before Katherine has an attempt made at her life, we see her in the prison of vanity and self-doubt as she believes her empathy has led her to a path of destruction. In a weird chain of events, Katherine’s adopted daughter Lina (Rose Williams) becomes the wife of the former’s hypochondriac stepson, Jamie (Finn Cole). Lina too is in a prison of self-pity and co-dependence because her relationship with Jamie is more habit than love. Throw in a third wheel in the relationship through this hot and happening doctor (Alex Hassell), and the stage is set for a tale of love, lust, and betrayal.
The film unfolds through the investigation into the accident by the nurse, and Lina serves as an unreliable narrator, telling just enough to keep herself safe from becoming a suspect in the attempted murder of Katherine. However, the narrative that unfolds isn’t half as exciting as it should have been. The machinations of the characters are sinister, yes, but not unpredictable. Right from the moment we see Lina and Doctor Lawrence, we know where the story is heading. There are one too many conveniences in the narrative, and the film doesn’t seem to be trying too hard. Apart from the mood of the film, which borders on the dark and gothic, Locked In doesn’t really bring a sense of novelty to a story that has been done to death.
The only highlight of the film, which is held together by the barebones of a one-liner, is the consistently impressive performances. The ever-reliable Famke is the perfect foil to a largely restrained Anna and a grounded Rose. Locked In revolves around just a handful of characters, and it works in favour of the film because we are invested in the happening of this film. The runtime of 90-odd minutes also helps. However, the writing doesn’t always aid the film by resorting to age-old cliches, especially in the last act, which is just a hodgepodge of ideas that doesn’t seem like it works even on paper. When the credits finally roll, and all the knots get untied, yours truly couldn’t help but think of another form of prison…the one that audience members voluntarily put themselves through in the hope that it would be different this time around.
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