CELLAR DOOR contains mysteries of human nature

Written by Jesus Figueroa

@ThisFunktional

Lionsgate’s CELLAR DOOR, available in select theaters and digital November 1, brings a story of curiosity, twists, and deception.

Looking for a fresh start after a miscarriage, a couple (Jordana Brewster and Scott Speedman) find themselves being gifted the house of their dreams from a wealthy homeowner (Fishburne) with one caveat - they can never open the cellar door. Whether they can live without knowing triggers shocking consequences.

Pros:

• The story unravels at a wonderful pace which creates suspense. Even with several stories being told, Director Vaughn Stein does a fantastic job of giving prominence to storylines, but also progressing all stories to create a complex but manageable story.
• There are no wasted characters. While many movies throw in big names in parts that seem just added to cameo an actor to exploit for publicity, this movie has good actors which play roles that progress the story and each contain a story arch that is important. Supporting cast brings as much to the overall story as the main characters do.
• The acting by Brewster is phenomenal and such a bright part of this movie. Even as her character arch may have some dark moments, Brewster is a delight to watch. Brewster and Speedman capture the audience and complement each other onscreen phenomenally. They seem to weave the personality of their characters in such a manner that creates a curiosity and at times suspicion on each one.

Cons:

• Some of the happenings of the film can at times feel dragged on or aspects can feel overused, but it does wrap up nicely in the end. It can feel like it takes awhile to get a payoff to some story points.
• There are instances in the film where situations feel too convenient, or even can seem unbelievable. The climax of the film tries to address some of these gaps, but even the explanation comes up slightly lacking.

CELLAR DOOR gets a rating of 8 out of 10 stars from ThisFunktional. It is a fantastic watch with good psychological drama with a mix of a Who Done It and True Crime thrown in.

Even as the story can be a bit of a stretch to believe, at points, there is so much going on to take in that there is no dull moment and no wasted scene. The audience may find themselves enjoying the cohesiveness of these parallel stories that combine to reveal how everything was in plain sight and there is nothing more frightening than human nature.

CELLAR DOOR

In Select Theaters November 1