By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Michael Vlamos
Starring: Aurora Perrineau | Harvey Guillen | Michael Vlamis | Nick Thune | Sarah Ramos
Year: 2025
Running time: 96
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18767068/
Brett says: The puzzle thriller is not a new subgenre, but the daily crossword is not in the same vein as the rabbit holes one might find in a Dan Brown-based film. CROSSWORD is the directorial debut of Michael Vlamis and explores psychological cliff-hangers in the form of black-and-white lettered boxes and half-chewed pencil erasers.
“At the heart of the film is the subject of grief and guilt that can sometimes saddle that grief. Young couple James and Tessa have had family tragedy. Picking up the pieces and trying to regain some semblance of normalcy is challenging in each partner’s own way. What’s more is that the tragedy has created a sort of natural divide or rift that comes with this shared loss. In an attempt to reach out for each other, reminders of their lives together prior to the tragedy becomes James and Tessa’s basis for reconnection. Of course, that can be easier said than done when a piece of what made them a sense of ‘together’ in the first place is now gone.
“Although grief takes its own forms in different individuals, James, also played by director Michael Vlamis, appears to have become the more isolated and visibly altered of the two. A confrontation or call-out to make James rethink his distancing leads to the medium that drives the entire film: the daily crossword puzzle. A hobby of the couple that once brought them together, unraveling puzzles and including Tessa rather than dwelling on the grief becomes James’ main attempts to refocus his mind. However, the thrilling nature of the film is how this focus perpetuates the problem in director Michael Vlamis’ dive into the human psyche.
“Accompanying this psychological thriller is some outstanding cinematography, all primarily within the confines of James and Tessa’s home. The effect is having the audience question reality much in the same way James and Tessa must do. The plot is a mind-bender that never forgets that grief and guilt are the driving forces. Interestingly enough, when looking at the layout of any given black-and-white conglomeration of shapes in a crossword, one might liken the holistic effect of looking upon such a pattern to that of a Rorschach test/ink blot. It’s that analogy that can summarize how one might view the characters, circumstances, and reactions to things in life for which there is no perfect playbook.
“3 CATS OUT OF 5“