KEEPSAKE (2010)

Streaming on Tubi!
Directed/Written by Paul Moore
Starring Sunny La Rose, Robert Pralgo, Courtney Hogan

KEEPSAKE’s strength lies in its tendency to throw curve balls throughout its entire running time. Never do things happen as are expected and though you might think you know what a character is thinking, all of a sudden a revelation comes along that kicks your dick in. Though it takes its sweet time, filmmaker Paul Moore shows a lot of potential with the way this twisted little ditty plays out.

Janine (Sunny La Rose) has an accident on a lonely road. When a tow truck driver (Robert Pralgo) shows up, she thinks she is saved, but instead she is taken hostage by the mute driver and imprisoned in the basement of a barn. Soon, Janine must use anything she can to escape from her sadistic captor who has a plan that he is not sharing. Sunny La Rose does a decent job carrying the film. This is basically a character piece between her and her mute captor (played ominously by Robert Pralgo) as she relentlessly fights back against him. Though a taser collar keeps Janine in place, it doesn’t stop her from making one escape plan after another. The final half hour where tides are turned over and back again as both Janine and her captor switch the upper hand is as tense as it gets while the revelations of what lies in the attic of the barn are nightmares that will linger in your brainpan.

I did find the first hour of this KEEPSAKE to be somewhat tedious. Those with a heavy fast forward finger may be tempted to put it to use as Janine slowly gets used to captivity. But if you’re patient, the payoff in the final tense moments is worthwhile and by the time the world is flipped ass up near the end, you’ll definitely have a newfound respect for the filmmakers having endured the arduous first half.

KEEPSAKE turned out thrills in the last half that transcend any negative criticism I have for the film. Though lo fi, this film never stretches too far beyond that, making it all the more effective. At times the film teeters on being too torture-porny, but the twists and turns that happen in the end save KEEPSAKE from being pigeonholed into any subgenre.

Check out the trailer here!!