Rent Compliance on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Craig Zobel
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Starring: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A normal Friday shift at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is happening.
Verdict
This is not an easy watch. This combines one person's depraved manipulation with multiple peoples' willingness to blindly comply with orders. If this wasn't based on a true story, I'd call it too far fetched to believe. It's crazy how gullible people are, how far this goes, and how far people let this go. Rarely do you see abuse and assault unfold in such a slow and visceral manner.
It depends.
Review
If this wasn't based on a true story you'd think there's no way this could have happened. Even watching this, you're going to look it up on Wikipedia because you're still going to question whether this actually happened. This movie is closer to the truth than you'd ever imagine or hope. What's disturbing is how quickly some people will comply with orders even if the source is dubious.
This provides just enough of an introduction to establish the characters before it jumps into the plot. The first question is why a cop would call instead of showing up in person. Even in this short phone call you see how the 'cop' manipulated and fished for information. Sandra (Ann Dowd) buys this guy is a cop and everything after that is easier to believe. She is told what she needs to hear and she doesn't question, doesn't step back, and doesn't stop. I was betting the demand would get incrementally more ridiculous as this 'cop' keeps asking for more. This caller knows exactly how to manipulate people, at one point reinforcing his authority by demanding to be addressed as sir or officer.
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| Ann Dowd and Dreama Walker play Sandra and Becky |
Eventually the caller asks Sandra to strip search Becky (Dreama Walker). Sandra pushes back, but eventually she complies. It's crazy that no one stops that. Even if you believe you're talking to a cop, this seems extreme? How does the caller keep his composure when people comply with his demands? Why does he do this? Is it just to feel powerful while manipulating people?
I get why teens would comply. In this job they're trained to just follow orders. Maybe Sandra is accustomed to that too, or at least following her boss's orders which the caller mentioned. This just keeps getting worse. Everyone dodges responsibility by stating, "he says I gotta..."
This is an uncomfortable movie. You can't believe people comply, and you can't believe someone would attempt something to depraved. There's a victim that is completely vulnerable. I'm sure she feels helpless. It's a terrible situation where the manager trusts a stranger over the employee. Sandra never protected Becky. The caller keeps pushing. When you combine the depravity of some people with blind obedience it creates something horrible.
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