Lionsgate Studios brought forth a thrilling Hulu exclusive horror film in Run (2020). This film has flown under the radar when it comes to psychological thrillers, a fact that comes as a surprise given the stellar performances from the actors and the vision that was helmed by writer/director Aneesh Chaganty. Here, we will look into the factors that helped make this film a showcase of suspenseful scenes. We will detail specific scenes and performances by the actors for context, as well as dig into the personality traits of the characters. Their motivations are the driving force behind this harrowing tale and will help to carry the story forward.
Sarah Paulson’s Range
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Television horror fans are very familiar with the talents of Sarah Paulson. Terrifying viewers with her many credits on the anthology series American Horror Story, Sarah Paulson plays Diane Sherman, a mother who appears only to want to look out for her disabled daughter. As the film progresses, Sarah’s maternal demeanor begins to waver as her daughter, Chloe, starts to uncover the truth.
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Even when Sarah Paulson provides a warm smile, she has perfect control over the inflections her body language can translate. She often comes off as someone who is keeping up a facade but never betraying how deep the secrets may run. While viewers may find themselves unsettled in the beginning, it is only an appetizer for the revelations to come, where Sarah Paulson gets to unleash her full obsession when all the secrets are unveiled.
Chloe’s Ambition
Chloe Sherman is seen as an ambitious young woman early on in the film. Despite the limitations placed on her, she actively works hard to be accepted into college and tries to become independent, despite her mother’s overbearing behavior. Faced with multiple medical conditions and dependent on a wheelchair, Chloe slowly begins to realize her mother may be giving her some suspicious medicine.
Chloe would eventually learn her mother had been purposely poisoning her, causing her partial paralysis. Diane would take away Chloe’s wheelchair and disconnect the phones while she leaves to get supplies, and audiences are treated to one of the bravest displays of the entire film. Chloe would use her clever brain to engineer a line that would help her to drag herself across the first-floor awning and break into a window on the other side, all with her body weight pulling her towards the edge. If only Chloe had a sibling to help her in these dire times.
Doing a Lot With a Little
While many thrillers are set in a city or in an expansive locale, the majority of this film takes place in Diane & Chloe’s home. The first two acts of the film are focused on the duo’s home life as well as seeing them do a dance of deception. Even the minor conversations would leave audiences hanging on every word as both characters sought information from the other without giving up their own secrets.
While the third act of the film would see a change of scenery, we are still treated to little dialogue, as Chloe is forced to use body language and alternative means of communication to translate how much danger she is in to the hospital staff. Seeing films that are capable of making the most of their setting helps to immerse the viewer as instead of simply looking at this home as a background, they begin to think of it as the characters do, studying the layout for how Diane may trap Chloe, and how Chloe can escape.
The Slow Revelations
The best scenes in this film come from the slow revelations that are expertly placed throughout. Chloe’s discovery that her new pills aren’t actually prescribed to her but to her mother leads her to sneak downstairs, so she can use the internet unsupervised. This would lead to a chilling scene where she would find the internet not working. As the camera focuses on Chloe’s background, we would see that Diane is there in the dark, having unplugged the router, watching her daughter from the shadows.
A more extreme revelation would come towards the end of the film, where Chloe would find evidence of an event that had been teased since the film’s opening scene. With the evidence that she had not been born with the disorders and illnesses that had affected her greatly, Chloe would begin to realize just how much Diane had obsessed over her and proceeded to risk her own life to ensure a chance to escape Diane’s machinations. And the final revelation that Chloe would give to Diane in the film’s final chapter would prove to be the most poignant. The ability to share all of these revelations over the course of an hour and a half film with proper pacing is telling. These examples are solid factors for why Run (2020) deserves more love for being a strong psychological thriller.
