In short action thriller The Ordeal Tyler (Chris Grant Wenchell) is an intense vlogger who shares online his obsession with guns, conspiracy theories, and the veritable certainty of an impending apocalypse that he means to live through. Toward that end he teaches himself and others survival craft, and goes into deep wilderness to hide caches of supplies for when the s**t goes down. Tyler is a textbook fanatical, neurotic doomsday prepper. His fixation on survivalism seems necessary to him, and is harmless fun, until one day he takes it too far.
The combination of online POV shots and 3rd person observer shots is creative and effective. Having Tyler speaking directly to the viewer, as he would on a Social Media channel, makes the viewer part of the action, and draws you into his insane world. A lively soundtrack keeps the action clicking along. The magic that seals the deal is the frighteningly convincing performance of Wenchell as the prepper. His eyes are bright with the fever of paranoid madness. Everything about this film works except the ending, which is for all intents and purposes, missing. There is a shocking event that just cuts to credits, dropping the audience on their collective heads.
“… His eyes are bright with the fever of paranoid madness …”
I’m not the only one noting that there’s something missing. Director/writer Lance Sadia addresses this lack of resolution in his production notes: “When I first constructed the script, it was conceived to be completely shot on GoPro, and on a much less narrative scope. However, after having really tapped into the potential of the story and embracing the lead character, I was able to truly make this short into a unique interactive style film. The story of Tyler & The Ordeal was actually written as a feature film. And what we’re watching on screen, is in fact the last scene that transitions us into the third and final act from that feature script. We’re clearly aiming to bring this movie to life. ”
Preppers do exist in the world, and are as manic as depicted here. You will know one if you meet him (almost always men). I knew a perfectly nice guy working as an IT sales rep and part-time musician who kept an extensive armory in his basement. He said “you know, for when the s**t goes down.” That is a recurring theme in the prepper subculture. He was absolutely convinced it was coming, just like Tyler.
The Ordeal is polished and professional, and a clear sign that Sadia is moving in the right direction. A full length feature version would be exciting.
