We’re essentially stuck in a “these are our protagonists and they must figure this out” mode for the first act. The tension in Calibre wouldn’t have worked had it simply been about whether or not the townspeople would find out what Marcus and Vaughn have done.Īt first, that’s the case, and it works because so much happens so quickly that neither the characters nor the audience have time to fully digest what’s happened. Couple this composition with the accidental death that they must hide, and the possibility of them getting caught only getting worse as the hours go on, and the atmospheric tension becomes almost unbearable. Palmer often shoots the townspeople in close-up, their stone-faced expressions creating deep unease, as well as in POV long-shots, where they’re seen glancing over at Marcus and Vaughn, seemingly speaking about them.

Logan introduces himself and is immediately aware of who Marcus and Vaughn are and what they’re here for.Īs the film plays on, it seems as though the whole town not only knows each other closely, but is also deeply aware of the presence of Marcus and Vaughn. Toward the beginning of the film, there’s a strange introduction between one of the most prominent townspeople, Logan McClay ( Tony Curran ), and the two friends.

Writer-director Matt Palmer orients us around the main characters’ concern and fear of the town’s people. source: Netflixīut the atmosphere is not only defined by the film’s composition of setting. And with sound design that seems to almost suppress noise beyond dialogue, even in the miles of forest, the film sets a suffocating atmosphere around its characters. During Marcus and Vaughn’s drive out, the film utilizes extreme long shots, shots allowed to hold for an uncomfortably long amount of time, to set an eerie tone and establish the distance between home and the Highlands.

While its premise is nothing new, Calibre ’s approach to it is rather refreshing. Childhood friends Marcus ( Martin McCann ) and Vaughn ( Jack Lowden, of Dunkirk fame) travel to the Scottish Highlands to go hunting, but soon need to find an unsuspicious way out after a horrible accident leaves someone dead. What do you do when you’ve made a terrible, irreversible mistake? That’s the very basic, well-trodden concept that Calibre takes on.

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