In director Thomas Elliott Griffiths’s short thriller Time to Go, a workplace power imbalance doesn’t just simmer — it turns into the kind of pressure that demands an exit plan. Loyal to her company, Megan Turner (Pamela Mayoss) has been grinding through the job for years. Each day starts off nicely with a chat with the security guard. Like clockwork, her day goes from bad to worse when her boss, Gavin (Patrick Jeffries), arrives, turning the office air “toxic.” He calls her to his desk, stares at her tits, and asks for a cup of coffee, then watches her a*s as she walks away.
Gavin has been on Megan’s mind for a long time, and she’s clocked how he operates, right down to who he targets and how he abuses his power. She recalls how, at a recent office party, Gavin took advantage of the new girl while she was drunk. Megan has been watching Gavin’s moves for a long time, probably knowing him better than he knows himself. Now it’s “time to go,” as Megan plans the perfect murder.
Griffiths says Time to Go, written by Rob Sharp, is a story about trauma and survival told through a thriller lens. Megan has endured harassment from her boss. She’s also watched it happen to her unsuspecting co-workers, and now she’s ready to put an end to it once and for all.
“…Megan plans the perfect murder.”
The story’s strength lies in the way each iteration of Megan’s plan to commit the perfect murder unfolds. Like a game of chess, each one of her moves is countered by Gavin—or the police. She plays through it in her mind over and over again until the plan is foolproof. Griffiths creates a good sense of pacing that’s typical of a thriller. He lulls us into a sense of security until the twist…then another one. It’s an engaging caper with a strong performance from Pamela Mayoss as Megan. My only suggestion is to move the camera around rather than keep it locked down. Get in close to create more tension—there’s a treasure of secrets to tell with the camera.
By the end, the director makes Time to Go feel like a tight little Insta-Pot thriller driven by Pamela Mayoss’ steady performance and the calculating logic of Megan’s fixation on getting away with it.
"…the kind of pressure that demands an exit plan."
