Crumb Catcher (FANTASTIC) is a Brutal Exercise in Anxiety and Discomfort
Title: Crumb Catcher
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: Chris Skotchdopole
Writer: Chris Skotchdopole, Larry Fessenden, Rigo Garay
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Starring: Rigo Garay, Ella Rae Peck, John Speredakos, Lorraine Farris
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
At one point or another, everyone has endured a conversation that has long overstayed its welcome for the sake of politeness, obligation, or some other necessary element of human survival. Be it a boss, teacher, or random person on the street, the fear of getting stuck in a never-ending conversation can make any social interaction irritating to say the least.
Shane (Rigo Garay) and Leah (Ella Rae Peck) know this all too well. After celebrating their wedding, the couple treks to a secluded home in the middle of the woods for their honeymoon. Unbeknownst to Leah, Shane has been dodging increasingly threatening text messages from a person claiming they had sex the night before and is demanding hush money. His anxieties are exacerbated further when John (John Speredakos) and Rose (Lorraine Farris), servers from the wedding, show up at the home asking for a quick favor.
Nerve-wracking and uncomfortably hilarious, Crumb Catcher adds a new spin to the home invasion subgenre.
Deep character work brings out the angst in the young couple even before their unwanted guests arrive. It’s clear from the awkward car ride to their honeymoon, that Shane and Leah are not doing well. Lacking the intimacy on the heels of what should be one of the happiest moments of their lives is telling. Much of this friction arises from their complicated and intertwined business and personal relationships with each other. Adding further pressure, the clear racial and socioeconomic differences between Shane and Leah come to a head when they lash out over a petty disagreement. There is already plenty of tension by the time of John and Rose’s unexpected arrival, but Crumb Catcher knows how to capitalize on the unrest to push it even further.
Thus begins an unusual take on the home invasion thriller. Crumb Catcher opts for a torturous business pitch to setup its central couple’s night of torment, on top of their newly minted marital woes. Relying on cringe horror to propel the plot forward and maintain a consistent state of unease, Crumb Catcher makes every moment of tension count. With both parties unwilling and unable to let things go, the incident gradually progresses as social slights increase, and bargaining tactics grow more sinister. Crumb Catcher is an exercise in endurance in what Director Chris Skotchdopole can thrust onto his audience. John, a walking trainwreck of an antagonist, doesn’t know how to take no' for an answer. The couple learns to bare-knuckle it through the worst presentation, lest his tactics worsen. This serves as a painful reminder to audience members of their own run-ins with telemarketers or persistent Facebook friends trapped in an MLM.
Each couple operates as a foil to one another showing how relationships can evolve into their worst possible outcome without proper care to one another. While Shane and Leah bicker throughout the evening, it is still evident that they clearly love each other, especially through the separate actions they take to protect one another. John and Rose, however, differ. John is obsessed with proving his genius at the expense of both his and his wife’s quality of life. Rose is content to go along for the ride, but wallows in self-pity from constant exposure to her husband’s antics. Their union, more resembling a marriage of convenience more than anything, differs drastically from the idealistic and softer affection between Shane and Leah.
The strong writing and command of pace would be nothing without the great cast who pieces everything together. Rigo Garay and Ella Rae Peck work well as a young couple attempting to fight for each other privately before having to go to bat against people who mean them harm. Moments of true sweetness showcase their connection, but their gradual shifts in tone throughout the night highlight their fluid chemistry. Lorraine Farris gives nuance to a character who would otherwise be played one-dimensional by a less capable actress. Sure, Rose doesn’t want to be there, but Farris makes sure to keep everyone guessing what her true motivations are, working the floor better than her husband ever could.
No one, however, can top John Speredakos’s performance as John. Creating one of the most insufferable but fascinating human antagonists of the festival, Speredakos fully commits to a multidimensional portrayal of a man convinced that his genius is hidden to all except himself. This façade slowly sheds as he grapples with his impotency as a salesman and cluelessness as an inventor, before succumbing to the easiness of straight-up crime to achieve his goals.
Crumb Catcher took this reviewer by surprise, and it likely will do the same for anyone lucky enough to come across it once it receives a wider release. A masterclass in tension and suspense, this powder keg home invasion movie will unnerve anyone that hates feeling trapped in conversations they do not want to have. The titular object might not be on anyone’s wish list, now or ever, but Crumb Catcher the movie, certainly should be.
Overall Score? 7/10
