New to digital download in the UK from Monday 3rd June is the low budget horror-thriller, New Life. The movie – written and directed by John Rosman – stars Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Ayanna Berkshire, and Tony Amendola, and follows the story of a mysterious woman on the run, and the ‘fixer’ hired to bring her in.
In the movie, Elsa Gray is a fixer who is called upon to complete tricky assignments which require a quick solution. Her latest case involves tracking down Jessica Murdock – a young woman who is doing her best to lay low as she travels north.
Both woman are resourceful and both harbour a secret. As the story unfolds, their lives become inextricably linked.
So, here’s the thing…
New Life is both an interesting movie and a slightly frustrating one. It’s interesting because it has some good ideas, a solid cast, and lots of potential, but it’s slightly frustrating because it takes a while to find its groove, it’s not particularly original, and it doesn’t quite land as intended.
Does this mean it is a bad picture? No, it’s not, and at times it demonstrates some decent stuff. If you take into account the film’s limited budget, then it’s really not too bad at all.
The main problem is, it’s nothing particularly new. Once the central ‘twist’ is introduced, and it becomes clear what connects Jessica to Elsa, it all feels like a plot lifted from an episode of The X-Files.
In an era where original ideas are key, New Life needs something which hasn’t been done before. And while the basic thrust of the movie is fine, it needs a bit more sparkle to make it stand out.
Where New Life works best is in the character work and in the way in which Jessica and Elsa’s stories are presented. Both of these elements are New Life‘s key selling points.
The film essentially keeps its central characters apart for the majority of the movie, which gives both Jessica and Elsa time to grow as characters. Both are likeable people, with a heavy weight on their shoulders, and the film allows plenty of time to get to know them.
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, but Elsa’s journey is particularly interesting and dovetails rather neatly into Jessica’s plight. They have different problems in their lives, but there is a connective thread here and it is nicely done.
The characters are also brought to life rather well by Sonya Walger and Hayley Erin, who play Elsa and Jessica respectively. Both Walger and Erin have a strong screen presence, and are good actors in a good cast.
Outside of the above, New Life has some decent moments of horror and plenty of potential. It doesn’t quite hit the high points it needs to, but this isn’t due to a lack of trying.
New Life is the first project from writer/director John Rosman and it’s certainly a good start. With a few tweaks here and there, plus access to a bit more money, Rosman could really go places, so I look forward to seeing what he does next.
While I doubt New Life will win everyone over and it does need a bit more oomph in places, it’s not bad. New Life has some of the right elements, so take it for what it is and focus on what works rather than what doesn’t.
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