The cast of Hidden Within. (CrossLine Pictures)
Directed by: Daniel Lasker
Written by: Daniel Lasker, Oscar K. Reyes
Starring: Anja Taljaard, Daniel Lasker, Arthur Falko, Eddie Sandifolo, Lionel Strasky
Synopsis (IMDb/CrossLine Pictures): When a young woman returns home to Zimbabwe to visit her ill father, a string of local disappearances reveal a frightening secret he’s been hiding.
Monique’s review:
Hidden Within is an enigma, much like the villain that wreaks havoc throughout the film. The film is executive produced by Summer with the Guys writer/director/star Brashaad Mayweather, also best known as Patty from the One Piece live-action series. The One Piece brotherhood continues with Hidden Within‘s director and creator Daniel Lasker, who is set to play Mr. 9 in One Piece‘s second season. Even though thematically, One Piece is miles away from Hidden Within, both projects excel at creating a world that draw you in. Hidden Within is at its most effective at building atmosphere and tension, and the building mystery around the disappearances and deaths keep you enthralled, wanting to know what happens next.
Another positive is that Zimbabwe, a country Americans rarely see outside of harmful, stereotypical footage, is shown in the same light any Western country is shown in. The film doesn’t call attention to this fact, but to the Western eye, seeing Zimbabwe in this way can change viewers’ mindsets about the reality of Africa.
The other big takeaway from the film is that it does show–probably unintentionally–why you should leave crime-solving to the authorities. Katheryn (Taljaard), who comes back to Zimbabwe to take care of her estranged father Rylond (Strasky), does everything you might imagine someone in a scary movie would do–she takes solving an opaque case into her own hands, and almost gets killed herself in the process. You do feel for her and what she’s going through–all she wants is to have her father safe from harm–but at many points, you might be like “Just let Det. Thabani Ndlovu (Sandifolo) solve the case for you!”
But aside from Katheryn’s urge to solve the case while nearly becoming both an accomplice and a killer herself, you can see how her life was unraveling before she ever started putting two and two together about her father and his huge secret. Taljaard is great as Katheryn, making us want to follow her journey even as we might wish she went to the authorities to help. Sandifolo has an imposing presence as Det. Ndlovu, and he does get his heroic moments. But I wish his character had more to do in the film. I wish there was a stronger story around his character’s search for the missing people who are connected to Katherine’s father’s secret.
Lasker, who plays Cullen, a man mysteriously trapped in Rylond’s basement, is adept at playing a man who seems to be a link between the missing people and Rylond’s involvement. Cullen and Katheryn’s growing relationship reveal there’s a lot at play in Cullen’s psyche, and it’s fun seeing Lasker dive into the depths of Cullen’s mind.
With how much I’ve been talking about Katheryn’s father, you might think he’s the one Det. Ndlovu after. Don’t worry–I haven’t spoiled anything regarding who the real killer is. What I can tell you is that they are quite menacing on screen, and their backstory becomes scarier as you learn more about them, especially when it comes to what drives them.
Overall, Hidden Within will keep you on your toes as you try to figure out what is plaguing Katheryn and her family. You can watch the film for yourself by watching the film on demand now.