SXSW Film Review: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Stars In 'Faults' a Bizarre Cult Comedy With Surprises In Store
Austin-based director Riley Stearns' short film "The Cub," which preceded his feature-length debut "Faults," revolved around the comically bizarre scenario of a straight-faced couple who send their daughter off to live with wolves, and concluded with a surprise finale. "Faults" also involves a strange relationship between a daughter and her parents with more going on than initially meets the eye, and unfolds with a similar mixture of comedy and creepiness. The longer format gives Stearns more room to play with tone, and the strongest aspects of "Faults" stem from its completely unpredictable atmosphere. You might anticipate the twists before they arrive, but not the way they feel.
Much of the odd comedic formula emerges from a pair of carefully orchestrated lead performances: Character actor Leland Orser delivers a fascinatingly offbeat turn as downtrodden author Ansel Roth, an expert in deprogramming brainwashed cult members, while Stearns' wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays the young woman he's hired to deprogram. Delivering an icy, cryptic performance that ranks among her best — and exists a world apart from her role as a messy alcoholic in "Smashed — Winstead's frequently inscrutable expression epitomizes this unique movie's enigmatic appeal.
Stearns' blacklisted script finds the grouchy Ansel at wit's end: He's first seen attempting to use an expired restaurant voucher at the hotel where he's invited to speak, then whining to a small crowd at his lecture when nobody buys his book. It seems as though things can't get any worse when he's confronted by the relative of a deceased cult member driven mad by his deprogramming process, but then a debt collector (Lance Reddick) shows up to represent Ansel's furious publisher. Latching onto the only opportunity in front of him, he accepts a desperate request from an elderly couple claiming their daughter Claire (Winstead) has been taken in by a pseudo-religious movement she refuses to leave. In short order, the scheming Ansel has kidnapped the woman and locked her in a hotel room, where the majority of the story takes place.
Now seen in full bloom, Stearns' approach to storytelling maintains a quirky rhythm that emphasizes speedy, insinuative dialogue, and his penchant for labyrinthine black comedy has shades of the Coen brothers. But "Faults" is less ostentatious than anything in either oeuvre. Instead, Stearns' narrative focuses on the curious nature of the brainwashing process through the constant misdirection of its minimalist premise. The increasingly weird nature of the proceedings don't only fixate on mind control; they engage in it.
Even so, "Faults" has an uneven quality that doesn't always click. Ansel's ironic distance from his own self-destruction makes it hard to believe he's any good at the career that put him on the map, and nothing he says to Claire during the course of their deprogramming session can match the depth implied by their performances. At times the story's noir-like qualities don't quite synch with Ansel's outwardly silly personality, and a series of references to a dark chapter in his past never reach a satisfying amount of definition. For a movie with a lot on its mind, a good amount of its narrative has a half-baked quality that's more interesting to pull apart in retrospect than to experience.
But Stearns eventually directs the meandering narrative into a bewildering third act that subverts expectations and leaves plenty of ambiguity in play. As the pair engage in a hypnotic conversation while locked in the hotel room bathroom, the power dynamic quietly shifts, and the mood goes with it. One character describes a fault as "a place where pressure builds and builds until it releases," but that's also a potent description of the eerie spell that the movie casts on its audience.
Criticwire Grade: B+
HOW WILL IT PLAY? Sure to divide audiences, Stearns' film could nonetheless find a solid reception in limited release with a distributor willing to play up its mysteries. It should maintain a solid presence on the festival circuit.
Much of the odd comedic formula emerges from a pair of carefully orchestrated lead performances: Character actor Leland Orser delivers a fascinatingly offbeat turn as downtrodden author Ansel Roth, an expert in deprogramming brainwashed cult members, while Stearns' wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays the young woman he's hired to deprogram. Delivering an icy, cryptic performance that ranks among her best — and exists a world apart from her role as a messy alcoholic in "Smashed — Winstead's frequently inscrutable expression epitomizes this unique movie's enigmatic appeal.
Stearns' blacklisted script finds the grouchy Ansel at wit's end: He's first seen attempting to use an expired restaurant voucher at the hotel where he's invited to speak, then whining to a small crowd at his lecture when nobody buys his book. It seems as though things can't get any worse when he's confronted by the relative of a deceased cult member driven mad by his deprogramming process, but then a debt collector (Lance Reddick) shows up to represent Ansel's furious publisher. Latching onto the only opportunity in front of him, he accepts a desperate request from an elderly couple claiming their daughter Claire (Winstead) has been taken in by a pseudo-religious movement she refuses to leave. In short order, the scheming Ansel has kidnapped the woman and locked her in a hotel room, where the majority of the story takes place.
Now seen in full bloom, Stearns' approach to storytelling maintains a quirky rhythm that emphasizes speedy, insinuative dialogue, and his penchant for labyrinthine black comedy has shades of the Coen brothers. But "Faults" is less ostentatious than anything in either oeuvre. Instead, Stearns' narrative focuses on the curious nature of the brainwashing process through the constant misdirection of its minimalist premise. The increasingly weird nature of the proceedings don't only fixate on mind control; they engage in it.
Even so, "Faults" has an uneven quality that doesn't always click. Ansel's ironic distance from his own self-destruction makes it hard to believe he's any good at the career that put him on the map, and nothing he says to Claire during the course of their deprogramming session can match the depth implied by their performances. At times the story's noir-like qualities don't quite synch with Ansel's outwardly silly personality, and a series of references to a dark chapter in his past never reach a satisfying amount of definition. For a movie with a lot on its mind, a good amount of its narrative has a half-baked quality that's more interesting to pull apart in retrospect than to experience.
But Stearns eventually directs the meandering narrative into a bewildering third act that subverts expectations and leaves plenty of ambiguity in play. As the pair engage in a hypnotic conversation while locked in the hotel room bathroom, the power dynamic quietly shifts, and the mood goes with it. One character describes a fault as "a place where pressure builds and builds until it releases," but that's also a potent description of the eerie spell that the movie casts on its audience.
Criticwire Grade: B+
HOW WILL IT PLAY? Sure to divide audiences, Stearns' film could nonetheless find a solid reception in limited release with a distributor willing to play up its mysteries. It should maintain a solid presence on the festival circuit.
Scott Menzel (MovieManMenzel) and Daniel Rester sit down and talk with Mary Elizabeth Winstead about her new film "Faults" at SXSW 2014.
Plot: Claire is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire's parents recruit one of the world's foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth.
[BD Review] Funny And Terrifying, 'Faults' Is An Incredibly Assured Debut
Faults marks writer/director Riley Stearns as one of the rare talents that arrives seemingly fully formed with their debut feature. As a fan of his shorts “Magnificat” and “The Cub” I entered the theater fairly certain I would be in good hands, but I was completely blown away by the control he displays over every aspect of his film. That’s not to say I don’t expect him to grow and get even better in the future, but I can probably count on one hand the amount of filmmakers who make the leap into features and land so well – every tool at their disposal already sharp – and they’ve all gone on to great things.The furthest I’ll go in terms of a synopsis is this – Faults is a modern cult thriller cut from a slightly different cloth than contemporaries like Martha Marcy May Marlene and Sound Of My Voice (though it more than earns its place alongside those films). It shares their menacing undercurrents but also manages to be laugh out loud funny in a manner that doesn’t even come close to undercutting its central objective. That’s all you should know going in (even though the movie is certainly strong enough to withstand all kinds of spoilers, there’s no reason not to blindly give yourself over to it at least once).
It also doesn’t hurt that Stearns has a stellar cast at his disposal. Leland Orser (Seven, The Guest) is at turns hilarious, despairing and achingly wounded as Ansel, something of a cult deprogrammer. Mary Elizabeth Winstead continues to reveal new layers of command over the craft she displayed in 2012’s Smashed. Though the film is largely centered around these two, it’s buoyed by unexpected turns from Beth Grant, Chris Ellis, Lance Reddick and John Gries. All of these people click together in completely unexpected ways as the film goes about its business with remarkable clarity and specificity.
Faults is also set apart from some of its recent brethren by the manner in which it approaches and wholly understands its characters. Stearns knows exactly what makes these people tick, what eats away at them and what they feel they need in order to attain some modicum of release (perhaps even happiness). So much of what transpires is relatable and familiar that it’s ultimately terrifying. The film understands that catharsis, release and emancipation – freedom of will – are harder to come by than most people realize. And once you see how it dangles that carrot you’ll probably want to take a closer look at just how free you think you are.
Faults: SXSW Review
As Riley Stearns's Faults begins, with scenes of a washed-up public speaker being humiliated in the diner of a cheap hotel, viewers may suspect they know what they're in for: A broadly drawn, perhaps meanspirited comedy about this pathetic man, once an authority on rescuing young people who'd joined cults. But Faults is not what it seems. Though a black-comic atmosphere persists, the debut feature is serious about manipulation and brainwashing, and a quietly commanding performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (the director's wife) helps establish that seriousness once the main plot — in which the failed expert is enlisted to deprogram a couple's daughter — gets underway. Sure to turn heads at fests, the picture should find enough support to justify an arthouse run.Ansel Roth (Leland Orser) has lost his TV series, his book royalties, and his wife since his last deprogramming assignment ended tragically; these days he scrounges anything he can get for free, lives in his car, and dodges requests from his manager Terry (Jon Gries) to pay back the cash he borrowed to self-publish a failed new book about cults. He's a beaten man, and Orser makes him more pitiable by hiding glimmers of competence and authority within his generally desperate performance.
When an older couple (Beth Grant and Chris Ellis) want to hire him to rescue their daughter Claire (Winstead), Roth sees a way to finally repay Terry, whose requests have turned to threats. He kidnaps the young woman, locks her into a motel room (with her parents sequestered next door), and deprives her of sleep for a night. She's remarkably calm about being held, apparently because she believes she could kill Roth easily if her cult family — Faults is their name — sent her a message to do so.
Given the evident solidity of Claire's will, it's surprising how quickly some of Roth's strategies work. Soon he's reintroducing her to her parents, finding the love she still feels for them; at the same time, Claire's father shows signs of a domineering side that might explain why she left home.
Winstead has plenty of emotional ground to navigate in the ensuing action, pointing viewers down some false paths in our assessment of her state of mind and relationship to those around her. The movie's look may be that of an off-kilter comedy — Emily Batson's knowingly tacky costumes, James Pearse Connelly's browntastic motel decor — but it soon starts to mine convincing psychodrama from the scenario. Stearns's script wastes no time in twisting things up, with suggestions of the supernatural and gangster-like subplots making the reprogramming effort more urgent. By the time the film gets where it's going, viewers may identify more than they expect with those who've been controlled by others with hidden agendas.
Faults - SXSW 2014 Review
However, in Faults, people are going to get hurt. In a way, Stearn heads into a Sam Peckinpah-esque direction with bursts of violence that are bound to leave one shocked. The emerging director attempts to balance these moments by inducing nervous laughs, not all of which succeed. There is some levity, but it completely disappears as the film winds toward its stunning final third. With a score by Heather McIntosh that smoothly avoids being heavy-handed, we are guided confidently by Orser and Winstead, who both shine as they duel back and forth. Winstead provides great innocence and an equal curiosity; she quickly flips between being childlike and being strong-willed without it feeling obvious. But the real standout is the calm demeanor Orser has throughout and the way we slowly find kinks in his armor.
“Faults” – Review/Press Photos by Daniel Rester
Review by Daniel Rester
Faults is a mysterious little gem from first-time feature film director Riley Stearns. Stearns also wrote the screenplay, and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, stars in the film and helped produce it. This was obviously a passion project for them, as Winstead gives one of her best performances yet and Stearns announces himself as a true talent.
The film concerns Ansel Roth (played here by the underrated Leland Orser), a down-on-his-luck writer who primarily deals with cults and the idea of deprograming victims. After hitting his limit with book deals and owing some money, Roth reluctantly accepts to deprogram an older couple’s daughter. She is a young woman named Claire (Winstead).
Claire claims to be involved with a group called “Faults,” which supposedly allows people to see past the ridiculousness of human life and move on into other stages. Roth takes the matters into his hands by taking her for five days and speaking to her in a hotel room. The majority of the film takes place in the room and deals with the process of deprogramming, but it has some twists and turns along the way.
When I spoke with Stearns, he claimed he was partially inspired by the tone of Fargo (1996) for Faults. After seeing the film, I believe he nailed that tone. Faults manages to be small-scale and tense, but it’s also darkly hilarious in many moments. For instance, the opening scene involves a flavorful argument about paying for a meal instead of just getting straight into the meat of the idea of cults. Stearns delivers sharp writing in this way, managing to pull off a balance of wit and ominous workings throughout. He also allows each of the two lead characters to become layered, which helps to keep things interesting in the small settings.
Stearns has skill behind the camera as well. As a director, he expertly uses his environments in order to make things tight and claustrophobic. The use of the hotel room setting even reminded me of Memento (2001) at times – which is never a bad thing. Stearns delivers some awesome images and surprises by the end, but he also never lets them overcrowd the initial story and characters. Such a juggling act shows promise.
Stearns’ technical team deserves some credit as well. The cinematography by Michael Ragen is exceptional, getting the most out of the hotel environment; the use of light with TV screens is excellent. The music score by Heather McIntosh is also great, providing an unsettling feeling throughout. Finally, the editing by Sarah Beth Shapiro is terrific; a few shots manage to linger for just the right amount of time before cutting away.
Faults wouldn’t have worked as well if not for the two lead performances. Winstead brings a deepness and darkness to the table that we haven’t really seen from her before. The performance at once invites both creepiness and sympathy, which is a hard thing to pull off. I hope the actress continues to take risks like this.
Orser – who looks a bit like film critic Peter Travers in this film – is equally as good. The actor, who usually resorts to supporting roles, gives us an interesting portrait of a man who has fallen off the horse. He allows Roth to be pathetic but still worth rooting for, and he adds the right amount of hilarity and emotionality to the part; he is also believable as an “expert on cults.”
The supporting cast is pretty good as well, but this show belongs to Stearns, Winstead, and Orser. The two actors bring their all while Stearns presents a thrilling and funny take on cults. Faults doesn’t have many faults, either; a lot of the viewing will just depend on certain taste in dark comedies. I urge one to seek this little film out if it happens to come near them, and I look forward to seeing what Stearns does next. He is one to watch.
Score: 3 ½ out of 4 stars (Grade Equivalent for Me: A-)
Runtime: 1 hour and 33 minutes.
U.S. Release Date: N/A.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Leland Orser; photo by Daniel Rester
Riley Stearns; photo by Daniel Rester
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Daniel Rester; photo by Scott Menzel
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Scott Menzel; photo by Daniel Rester
Riley’s confidence in Leland Orser might be a little surprising to some. Even though he has a fairly extensive filmography, he has never been a true lead. In Faults, he effortlessly carries this film to surprising heights during every significant moment of the film, whether that moment is supposed to be funny, thrilling, or dramatic.
In a lot of ways, it’s a good thing that this film was able to carried on the backs of Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Even though Riley Stearns directed and wrote Faults, the narrative drags at times, but the performances always manage to keep it afloat. All in all, this is a solid debut for a Central Texas native. It is oddly comedic, intense at times, strangely calming, and even creepy. Sometimes all at once. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, kids.
SXSW Film Review: Faults
Riley Stearns’ confidence in his lead actors, especially in Mary Elizabeth Winstead is evident from the start. The camera often remains fixed on the subject and Faults is driven completely by performance. His confidence in Winstead shouldn’t be all that surprising, she is after all his wife. Her performance here is much different nearly everything she has ever done in her career, but she excels brilliantly in Faults, especially in the third act.Riley’s confidence in Leland Orser might be a little surprising to some. Even though he has a fairly extensive filmography, he has never been a true lead. In Faults, he effortlessly carries this film to surprising heights during every significant moment of the film, whether that moment is supposed to be funny, thrilling, or dramatic.
In a lot of ways, it’s a good thing that this film was able to carried on the backs of Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Even though Riley Stearns directed and wrote Faults, the narrative drags at times, but the performances always manage to keep it afloat. All in all, this is a solid debut for a Central Texas native. It is oddly comedic, intense at times, strangely calming, and even creepy. Sometimes all at once. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, kids.
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