Weapons

At 2:17 a.m., something extraordinary happens: all third graders from a small town (bar one) disappear without a trace, never to be seen again. The stricken small community searches high and low for answers, but a month into the tragedy, young teacher Justine Gandy - who was in charge of the missing class - begins to take the blame and becomes the town's scapegoat. However, Gandy also seeks answers to the mystery and, together with other residents, they slowly but surely begin to unravel the dark truth behind all the disappearances ...

At the beginning of the film, a narrator claims that the film is based on real events. This is definitely not the case, and I'm not sure what the point is. Perhaps the point is that there are many unsolved cases where missing children are never found, and that filmmaker Zack Cregger somehow wants to express the perpetual frustration and paranoia of a small community that quickly turns on each other when there are no answers, in his own peculiar way. Whatever the case, Cregger has managed to make a phenomenal little thriller that is probably one of the year's sharpest films.

Weapons is the kind of film that keeps you glued to it from the first second to the last, because there isn't even a second wasted here. It's downright breath-taking how driven this film is, how strongly written it is in its simplicity. I thought at first that the film's structure, which uses different characters' perspectives to put all the macabre pieces of the puzzle in place, would shift the focus too much. On the contrary, these threads are sewn together with a fury and an absolutely brilliant sense of dark humour. This film doesn't really do anything out of the ordinary when it comes to recent psychological thrillers, but the storytelling is exquisite in its confidence and sass. Cregger knows exactly what he's doing, and does it brilliantly.

You look just like Julia Gardner above when you see the nail-biter Weapons

Weapons is one of those rare films where I basically have nothing negative to say. Actually, I do. This gem has been brewing in my head for quite a while and after digesting this film for a few days, I guess I could say that the more we know about the mystery, the less interesting the lead-up to the finale becomes. I also wish the police character's story had taken a different direction. But now I'm being picky, because Cregger has such a stranglehold on the viewer that you never want to look away from the nightmare. And then what a finale! Could this very well be the best ending sequence of the year? As I said, I can't complain. It also helps that the acting from Julia Gardner, Josh Brolin, Han Solo star Alden Ehrenreich and brilliant child actor Cary Christopher, among others, is so solid, because it adds to the credibility as things get crazier and more nightmarish.

Weapons is a lovely little nail-biter that never makes a pretentious or big fuss. It's a very simple film that happens to have a sharp script and a passionate filmmaker behind the camera. This is brilliant cinema entertainment that I imagine is juxtaposed with cult films like Get Out and Hereditary. I don't know how the film would have the same effect if you saw it again, but don't let that stop you from seeing one of the most brilliant thrillers of the year. Oh, and skip the trailer. This film is best experienced without knowing much about it.