THE GIRL IN THE BACKSEAT at Dances with Films
By Daniel Mendes, TheCinebuff.com
A meet-cute soon turns into a hellish nightmare in Nick Laurant’s The Girl in the Backseat. After being stood up on a date, Sofia meets Ryan, a seemingly harmless young man who charms Sofia back to her home. Things eventually take a dark turn as we soon find out that Ryan has drugged and abducted Sofia for human trafficking purposes. In this darkly tense thriller, Sofia must find a way to escape before she becomes fully entrenched in a human trafficking ring.
Nick Laurant elicits suspense and tension through simple character interactions. From the film’s start, there’s an early sense of dread and unease that permeates through the screen. As we see Sofia and Ryan interact, the nightmare just keeps getting worse and worse as Sofia witnesses the underground world of human trafficking.
Kika Magalhaes’s performance as Sofia is the foundation on which this film stands.. She has this vulnerability, and an inner courage that she expertly displays on screen. Chris Marrone as Ryan is more than simply a one-dimensional villain. There’s also a conflict within him as a man at odds with wanting to do the right thing, but also being trapped in this way of life.
While the characters are all well-written, the third act doesn’t quite stick the landing. The third act happens just because it needs to happen and doesn’t feel true to its story or characters. The main antagonist of the story appears near the end but feels like a generic villain rather than a fleshed out character. While all of the characters, save Sofia, are meant to be seen as irredeemable, a little more development could have gone a long way.
As it stands, the film handles a challenging subject matter in the best possible way. Nick Laurant and company give it the proper weight and respect it requires. Sofia’s story of survival and escape is frightening and all-too-real.
The Girl in the Back Seat will make its world premiere this Saturday at 5 pm PT at the Dances with Films festival. For more details visit the festival website.
Originally published at https://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on June 30, 2023.
