Exhibit A is a British found footage film that displays some of the best character development you will witness in the genre.
Synopsis
A video camera records the terrifying events that transpire as a man’s desperation drives him to commit an unimaginable act.
My Thoughts
Exhibit: A is a film that’s basically a home video, but not the cute kind where your dad’s in the garden with his shirt off on a sunny day with a BBQ cooking, no, this one’s dark, real dark, and while the film isn’t ‘traditional’ horror, although it has psychological horror aspects, and blends drama and thriller aspects into the mix, the horror and the dread still feels all too real at times.
The whole thing is shot through the eyes of the daughter’s camcorder, as we watch her family fall apart because they’re getting crushed under the weight of their own financial mess.
The film opens with a message saying the footage was found at a murder scene, and you don’t know who’s been murdered or who the hell done it.
It’s like one of those twisted little puzzles where you’re trying to figure it out the whole time, but instead of some posh, stuck-up people in a mansion, it’s just this regular family.
You’ve got the dad, who’s obsessed with some old comedian, the mum, who seems nice enough, but has probably been holding the family together with a prayer and some cheap wine, and then there’s the son, a real little knobhead.
And the sister? Well, she’s the one filming everything, like the one person in the family who might still have a sense of hope, just documenting her miserable life for posterity.
The family feel real, like, you can see them, and it’s not some over-the-top acting, or actors pretending to be a family, the film feels like you’ve walked into someone else’s house, and they’ve forgotten you’re there.
And this is where the tension builds.
The daughter, with her camera, starts filming the cracks in the family, and you don’t notice them at first, but they’re there, just subtle little things with this undertone of sadness to it all.
As the family gets further into debt, the pressure piles on, and you see them crack, which is actually quite heartbreaking and the film as a whole is just bleak as you watch this family descend into chaos.
You can feel their desperation, their hopelessness, and by the time you reach the end, you’re left sitting there, thinking, “Did that really just happen?”
This is real, raw stuff, and it’s uncomfortable, and you want to look away, but you can’t, as you’re stuck there, watching this normal family disintegrate – A feel good movie this is not.
What really makes this film stick with you, though, is how believable it all is, this is not some far-fetched plot where aliens come and save the day, no, this is just a family that could be your own, or your neighbor’s, or hell, anyone’s.
There’s nothing supernatural about it, and it’s just real life, with all the mess and mistakes that come with it.
It’s raw, it’s gritty, and in the end, it’s not the violence or the tragedy that stays with you, it’s the fact that you know, deep down, this could be you or a loved one.
It’s a film that makes you uncomfortable, but it does it on purpose, as it’s trying to make you see the cracks in the perfect family life that we all think we have.
It shows you that sometimes, everything isn’t okay, even when you are trying to pretend it is, and the film is intense, chilling and depressingly realistic.
If you want to watch a film that slowly and gradually escalates and builds the unsettling tension and psychological dread, with no ghosts or ‘traditional’ horror one might expect, you can do a lot worse than give Exhibit A a watch.
But be warned if you haven’t worked it out yet, it’s a bit brutal.
Good Points
Realistic Characters: The family feels authentic, with relatable dynamics and personalities, and you might see yourself in them, which makes the emotional moments hit all that harder.
Unsettling Tension: The subtle, creeping tension throughout the film keeps you guessing where it will lead, as you realize things are going terribly wrong.
Real World Relevance: The financial collapse and family struggles feel like something that could happen to anyone of us.
Bad Points
Slow Pacing: The film can drag at times, especially in the first half, as the tension builds slowly, which might bother some people.
Overly Depressing: The relentless tension and dark atmosphere might feel too bleak for some.
Is It Worth Watching?
Exhibit: A is definitely worth watching if you’re into raw, emotional films that dive into the complexities of family life, and if you’re up for a thought-provoking, gut-wrenching bleak portrayal of a family breaking apart and you’re not all about jump scare as Exhibit A hits home hard.
Where To Watch
Director and Cast
Director – Dom Rotheroe
Main Cast – Bradley Cole, Brittany Ashworth, Angela Forrest and Oliver Lee.
Found Footage Horror Movies 
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