Yet despite layering on the charm, Marc is unable to seal the deal on his own. Seeking reinforcements, Marc calls in his colleague, Sam (Mae Mitchell), to Roger’s obvious disappointment. As Sam begins her sales pitch to the heretofore-eager Roger, Roger’s tone and demeanor subtly shift into something more sinister. Roger’s big, brown puppy-dog eyes start to appear more hollow and nefarious. When Roger exposes secrets about Marc and Sam that he couldn’t possibly know, it becomes apparent that this encounter may not have been so fortuitous after all.
That’s the spectacular setup, but unfortunately, it’s the whole movie as well. The screenplay by Hinckley and Castellini insinuates some sort of supernatural element at work, but it is never made clear what that component is or how it manifests. Hinckley is very good at switching between being sheepish and overly friendly to diabolical and mysterious. This begs the question, who is this guy? The movie never tells us, so the stakes are nonexistent. Why should we care about any of this if we don’t understand the relationship between the characters?
“…all setup and no resolution.”
Furthermore, Buy In boasts a rather lackluster production design that doesn’t do much for its visual intrigue. Roger’s hotel room is tiny and sparse and contains barely enough room for the three characters to move about. The washed-out palette of the room, combined with the bland costumes, contributes to the film’s dreary look.
All of this wouldn’t matter so much if the movie had a point. The setup is so compelling that it comes as a monumental letdown when The End card flashes across the screen. There are a variety of potential reasons why Buy In ends when it does. Perhaps the production ran out of funds to complete the film. Maybe the filmmakers simply intend for Buy In as a marketing tool to show potential investors. Or Hinckley and Castellini just couldn’t figure out a way to convincingly explain Roger’s interest in Marc and Sam.
Whatever the case may be, Buy In ends just as it’s starting to get interesting, announcing itself as nothing more than a big ol’ cinematic tease.
"…nothing more than a big ol' cinematic tease."
