The Signal
Sundance Film Festival
Director: William Eubank

As they drive across the country to California, friends and computer whizzes Nick (Brenton Thwaites), Jonah (Beau Knapp) and Haley (Olivia Cooke) make a stop in the Nevada desert to track down the notorious hacker, Nomad. As they search an abandoned shack, they suddenly encounter an unfathomable abduction. When Nick regains consciousness, he finds himself quarantined in a government facility with an inquisitive agent (Laurence Fishburne) searching for answers. Director William Eubank imprisons the audience in the same restraints as his actors and gradually unveils the truth behind the confrontation with the extraterrestrial biological entity. Fishburne plays the character you love to hate as he torments his detainees. The film pays homage to other cult classics like “The Blair Witch Project” and “District 9” without appearing derivative. Along with Fishburne, the entire cast builds an increasingly amount of tension until the final and unbelievable explosive climax. The only distraction comes in the final moments of the film. As the mystery is being unveiled, an overbearing dubstep score blasts through the speakers disrupting the general tone of the production. Obviously, it’s not enough to ruin the film, but it certainly leaves a question as to why it was added.

– Jimmy Martin

Screening Times:
N/A