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It tells the story of Ron and Dale (Travis Fimmel and Teresa Palmer), two lower-class lovebirds on the run after a double-homicide. Traveling through the Australian countryside, they shack up in a mansion owned by Andrew (True Blood's Stephen Moyer), a wealthy art collector and clinical agoraphobic. Rather than kill him, the couple takes him hostage, and together the three launch a plan to get the fugitives enough money to leave the country for good. In order for it to work, they have to stay another two days- plenty of time for the three to get to know each other.
What's wonderful about this film is that every bit of plot is used only as a way to further each character's personal story. Within the first few minutes, we are treated to a series of images that in very few words tell us all we need to know about the characters going into it: one is a sociopath, one is extremely unhappy with her life, and the other is an agoraphobic. From there, it's not a question of what they do, but why they do it- and the film shows no 'restraint' in answering it.
The character of Ron is, regrettably, the most one-dimensional of the trio, but that's still saying a lot. At the end of the movie, the audience knows everything they need to about him- why he became a criminal, why he's okay with killing people, what he wants to do with his future, why he fights so hard to keep Dale by his side. He's a sociopath, and at no point will the audience ever sympathize with him, but at the very least we understand what he is and what he does, which is a quality most movies never bother with. We're not asked to shed a tear, and our heartstrings aren't plucked. We're simply given enough about a character to appreciate and comprehend his motivations.
Dale, on the other hand, is the flux character. At the start of the film, she's a stripper with no qualms about giving a gas station attendant a handjob for $4.50 in gas. She's not a killer, but she's not an angel, either. After meeting Andrew, she at first takes pity on him, then becomes slowly enchanted by his lifestyle. Their master plan centers around Dale impersonating Andrew's estranged fiancee and emptying their bank account, but Dale is too intimidated by her mark's high society persona to affect it. Getting past her self-deprecation, she falls deeper and deeper into the role, until eventually she manages to fool not just the police and the townsfolk, but herself most of all. As everyone in the bank greets her and tips their hats, Dale's perspective on the upper class changes. For the first time in her life, she feels truly appreciated and accepted. It's a character journey well worth taking, and it overshadows the now trivial matter of their escape from the law.
Plus, she looks like this:
Also famous for here role in Bedtime Stories. Yeah...Rounding out the cast is Stephen Moyer, who has since become immortalized by starry-eyed young women everywhere for his role on HBO's True Blood. Although his acting on True Blood seems as stale and lifeless as a three-month-old breadstick, he really comes through in this film and gives his character just the right amount of intrigue to make him more than just a victim. In fact, one of the movie's biggest strengths is how subtly it plays up Andrew's ambiguous nature, until in the third act we're nearly as creeped out by him as we are of his captors. He's pathetic at first, a hapless victim used as a punching bag, without an ounce of respect from his attackers despite his considerable wealth and estate. But as the film progresses, Andrew sizes the couple up, and what he can't accomplish physically he does through manipulation. Within the first day, Andrew has analyzed each of their weaknesses and knows exactly which buttons to push and how. He seduces Dale and taunts Ron- surreptitiously enough at first that he can easily pass it off as a misunderstanding, but he increases his game and adds more layers of intensity as the movie goes on. Like the other two, we're not invited into his mind. We don't see from his perspective, we only witness his actions, and throughout the film the one thing we want to know is, "Who is this guy? What is his deal?"
The differences between the characters fade and melt as their roles become obsolete. Criminal, criminal, hostage- at first it's the plot, then it's the setting. Every once in a while the film drops a sudden and violent reminder as to what their relationship is to each other, and it's jarring because it sucks us out of the cleverly woven character drama in a really powerful way.
At the crux of this story is Dale's transformation- not by her own accord but thanks to Andrew's constant manipulation. As Andrew's hold on her grows, his own weaknesses become that much more apparent, and as soon as we realize his motivations, all of his actions come under question. There are also scenes of homoerotic tension- subtle at times, more outright at others, but never brought into the foreground. It's a hand that Deneen plays very well, and its effect increases our appreciation and understanding of the characters.
Some of the film's themes are overstated, but so many more are understated, and therein lies its brilliance. It pulls you along a mental journey, watching characters change, fall apart and evolve, right up until the last shot- a silent dolly-out framed so well that it works as a twist ending of sorts. Again, it's not a twist of plot but of our understanding of the characters and their relationships with one another. The film goes on for five minutes after the scene you expect your typical thriller to end with, and from there we witness a chilling reality, both disturbing and somehow very poetic.
If you like dramatic thrillers, especially those that keep you on edge and have you constantly wanting to know more about the characters, then 'Restraint' is for you. Also, the lead actress looks like this:
Also famous for her role in my bedtime stories. Oh yeah...
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