Ray Nicholson plays a stalker to Samara Weaving’s 90s Pop Star in the darkly comedic thriller Borderline.
Tone is so tricky. Managing multiple tones is even trickier. Borderline fearlessly pushes itself into a violent and obsessive world of celebrity stalking. Daring you to laugh in the face of what otherwise would be a nightmare. Writer/Director Jimmy Warden has concocted a film that brazenly asks you to laugh as you gasp in terror.
Sofia (Samara Weaving) is a 90s pop star at the pinnacle of her career. Huge singles, hit movies, burgeoning relationship with a superstar athlete (Jimmie Fails). She also has what every star dreads… a stalker Paul (Ray Nicholson). After an incident involving Sofia’s bodyguard Bell (Eric Dane), Paul is put away for good. One year later Paul manages to escape the facility he’s in with one goal in mind: Marrying Sofia. No matter who gets in his way, Paul will stop at nothing to have his perfect day. Even if that means kidnapping Bell’s daughter Abby (Yasmeen Kelders).
Make no mistake, Ray Nicholson is going to be a giant actor and star. The former before the latter. Every second the actor is on screen you cannot help but be drawn to everything he’s doing. From his smile that can go from wholesome to sinister in a blink of an eye. To his ability to drawn you closer to Paul’s inner life without saying a word. Nicholson is magnetic and the broken soul of this film and will make you laugh and recoil in equal measure.
Not to be outdone by Nicholson, Samara Weaving continues to show why she is a superstar in waiting. As Sofia the popstar, there is no question why she was cast. You believe through and through this is someone people obsess over. One that is smarter and craftier of a person than anyone would give her credit for. Also, one that could rise to the occasion when needed. The film does not go into superhero territory but there is a certain amount of verisimilitude when Sofia is attacked and the way she gets out of those attacks. It’s a much more complex performance that at first appears.
The entire cast is uniformly terrific from Eric Dane, and Jimmie Fails as the respective men in Sofia’s life to Yasmeen Kelders and Catherine Lough Haggquits as Bell’s daughter and neighbor. All do solid work and bounce off of Nicholson and Weaving in the way that they should. However, it’s Alba Baptista and Patrick Cox as Paul’s accomplices that almost steal the show. Baptista, in particular, as the psychotic Penny is a standout and has some of the film’s biggest gasps of laughter.
Borderline is not for everyone. Its ability to make one laugh, squirm, and revolt at its violence oftentimes in the same scene will not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those that meet its wavelength will find a new film to love and obsess over. It isn’t just the arched tones that one finds unique and praiseworthy but writer/director Warden’s ability to weave a visually astute rich narrative. The way the film with all of its trickery and style also gives empathy to characters that should have none, will give this film life way beyond its theatrical window.
In its final moments as the credits role, one finally realizes the scope and nature of Bordline’s thesis. The daring of allowing a single shot of a character. Their realization and internationalization of the proceeding night’s turn of violent events, their cost, and repercussions. It’s a moment, and there are many in the film, that boldly transcend the genre conventions of the story it’s telling. That daring empathy is what elevates Borderline to something singularly unique.
Ray Nicholson plays a stalker to Samara Weaving’s 90s Pop Star in the darkly comedic thriller Borderline.
Tone is so tricky. Managing multiple tones is even trickier. Borderline fearlessly pushes itself into a violent and obsessive world of celebrity stalking. Daring you to laugh in the face of what otherwise would be a nightmare. Writer/Director Jimmy Warden has concocted a film that brazenly asks you to laugh as you gasp in terror.
Sofia (Samara Weaving) is a 90s pop star at the pinnacle of her career. Huge singles, hit movies, burgeoning relationship with a superstar athlete (Jimmie Fails). She also has what every star dreads… a stalker Paul (Ray Nicholson). After an incident involving Sofia’s bodyguard Bell (Eric Dane), Paul is put away for good. One year later Paul manages to escape the facility he’s in with one goal in mind: Marrying Sofia. No matter who gets in his way, Paul will stop at nothing to have his perfect day. Even if that means kidnapping Bell’s daughter Abby (Yasmeen Kelders).
Make no mistake, Ray Nicholson is going to be a giant actor and star. The former before the latter. Every second the actor is on screen you cannot help but be drawn to everything he’s doing. From his smile that can go from wholesome to sinister in a blink of an eye. To his ability to drawn you closer to Paul’s inner life without saying a word. Nicholson is magnetic and the broken soul of this film and will make you laugh and recoil in equal measure.
Not to be outdone by Nicholson, Samara Weaving continues to show why she is a superstar in waiting. As Sofia the popstar, there is no question why she was cast. You believe through and through this is someone people obsess over. One that is smarter and craftier of a person than anyone would give her credit for. Also, one that could rise to the occasion when needed. The film does not go into superhero territory but there is a certain amount of verisimilitude when Sofia is attacked and the way she gets out of those attacks. It’s a much more complex performance that at first appears.
The entire cast is uniformly terrific from Eric Dane, and Jimmie Fails as the respective men in Sofia’s life to Yasmeen Kelders and Catherine Lough Haggquits as Bell’s daughter and neighbor. All do solid work and bounce off of Nicholson and Weaving in the way that they should. However, it’s Alba Baptista and Patrick Cox as Paul’s accomplices that almost steal the show. Baptista, in particular, as the psychotic Penny is a standout and has some of the film’s biggest gasps of laughter.
Borderline is not for everyone. Its ability to make one laugh, squirm, and revolt at its violence oftentimes in the same scene will not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those that meet its wavelength will find a new film to love and obsess over. It isn’t just the arched tones that one finds unique and praiseworthy but writer/director Warden’s ability to weave a visually astute rich narrative. The way the film with all of its trickery and style also gives empathy to characters that should have none, will give this film life way beyond its theatrical window.
In its final moments as the credits role, one finally realizes the scope and nature of Bordline’s thesis. The daring of allowing a single shot of a character. Their realization and internationalization of the proceeding night’s turn of violent events, their cost, and repercussions. It’s a moment, and there are many in the film, that boldly transcend the genre conventions of the story it’s telling. That daring empathy is what elevates Borderline to something singularly unique.
Borderline in theaters and on digital now.
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