Subject (2023) Brings Middling Psychological Sci-Fi Horror to Screambox
Title: Subject
First Non-Festival Release: August 22, 2023 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)
Director: Tristan Barr
Writer: Tristan Barr
Runtime: 79 Minutes
Starring: Stephen Phillips, Tristan Barr, Gaby Seow
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
What would it take for you to admit the darkest truths about yourself? It may sound easy to bare your soul but when faced with true reflection, it gets much harder. Subject shows what can happen to a person when all they have time to do is think.
Extracted from his prisoner transport vehicle, Willem (Stephen Phillips) is given the option to commute his sentence by agreeing to an experiment with a man named Dalesky (Tristan Barr) from an undisclosed entity. He wakes up in a camera-studded cell with little structure for how he should spend his time, outside of recording a ten-minute video entry every day. The days go on in boredom until he notices something through the two-way mirror in the cell next door.
Philosophical pseudo-found footage sci-fi horror Subject slow drains the life out of its interesting setup.
An almost satisfying approach to the mystery behind its concept, Subject revels in its less-is-more approach to storytelling. Clues as to why Willem has found himself placed in this odd situation drip through the story in tantalizingly slow droplets. It’s clear something led him to this, and it is up to him to understand why he was chosen for this experiment. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Willem presents much more clean-cut and together than he truly is which makes his unraveling more interesting. His demons shine under the pressure of his fear, confusion, and isolation, but they often go unexplored. The researchers seem to get the answers they want, and the audience is left to ponder themselves. Its plodding pacing is odd given its short runtime and Subject does wear its welcome down quickly, making it hard to gain back the goodwill squandered in its first act.
The stripped-down approach to sci-fi horror is laudable for its inventive approach to terror. While its budget does show at times, the creative decisions behind making the story come to life make it feel more authentic in ways. It has a very strong tactile approach to horror, making it difficult not to squirm alongside Willem as he is subjected to various frights.
Non-traditional in its use of found footage, Subject waffles on the interweaving of personal home movies with its central experiment. From the moment he wakes up in his new cell, cameras are tracking every move that Willem makes. The elimination of privacy makes it so Willem is forced to share every intimate detail with the viewers. His mandatory ten-minute confessional every day adds to the authenticity of an experiment gone wrong, but it all aligns within the confines of found footage. There are moments, however, that Willem’s dreams and hallucinations play out on screen which throw a curve ball in this narrative. Additionally, snippets of home movies are used throughout the film to torture Willem but play out similarly to the dream sequences where it gets difficult to differentiate between the two.
Stephen Phillips is a one man show for most of the film placing it squarely on his shoulders, with mixed results. Phillips shines when left to his own devices, finding realistic and compelling ways for Willem to keep busy and as sane as possible in his enclosure. He runs into trouble when confronted with other actors. In his home movies, it can be difficult to tell what Willem is thinking or wants, as he presents as distant and uninterested. When interacting with Dalesky, he melts into the more emotional parts of him as this is his only human interaction for presumably days or even weeks. He plays battered and broken better than put together which makes for some interesting moments when he finally confronts the prisoner next door.
Although the performance strains under the pressure of so much screentime, the character of Willem is ripe with beautiful moments of character development that make the slow burn film more exciting. Throughout Subject, Willem breaks down at the torture his prison has become. Barely fed, constantly monitored, and given bizarre tests, he is already reaching a breaking point before being introduced to the other prisoner in the adjacent cell. Between the context garnered from the home movie snippets and the pointed line of questioning from Dalesky, much is uncovered about Willem, both his past transgressions and his acceptance of his flaws. This leads to some great revelatory moments in the end before Willem ultimately meets his fate appropriately to someone looking for a good comeuppance.
There is plenty of great material in Subject but its underwhelming approach to horror makes it a difficult recommendation. Its cool setup and relatively strong production values for an indie film make it easy to root for and its satisfying story engenders good will for an equally enjoyable ending. Middling performances and moments where the film takes the viewer out of the experience drag down the effort. Regardless of the thoughts laid out here, it is often best to test one’s own hypothesis by experimenting oneself, which one could do on Screambox at any time.
Overall Score? 5/10
