Parents' Guide to Hallow Road

For the first five minutes of this engrossing British thriller, there's no dialogue or actors on-screen, just a mounting sense of tension as the camera pans around a home clearly deserted in a hurry. This sets the tone for Hallow Road, a film that relies on claustrophobic camerawork and intense acting over direct action. It does well to maintain the atmosphere over the next 80 minutes, which unravel in realtime—the achingly slow time-lapse recorded via a sat nav. Pike and Rhys are on-screen for the majority, while McDonnell is heard via a mobile phone. The only glimpse of her is the smiling, playful contact photo that comes up each time there's a call, which is at jarring odds with the panic-stricken voice on the other end. As the minutes tick on, not only is Alice's position revealed as increasingly precarious, but Maddie and Frank struggle to keep their own buried tensions under control. And that's a central theme here: everyone is trying to control a nightmare situation that's ultimately already too far gone. It packs a strong emotional punch, as characters slip from cool reactions and rational assessments, to wide-eyed panic and complete loss of direction. There are surprises throughout and an unexpected twist toward the end, which will keep viewers on their toes, but the final few minutes may lose the faith of more pragmatic viewers.