Our mind has a way of blocking out traumatic events as a means of self-protection, but the universe has a way of opening old wounds at the most inopportune moments. A man is forced to confront his past in director Kevin Hick’s supernatural thriller, Dead Air.
Will’s (Kevin Hicks) life has stalled on the anniversary of his wife’s death. Left with two daughters, Will has wisely sought therapy. His progress has been hindered by a traumatic event in his youth that he can’t remember. The million-dollar question is, what is it that Will can’t remember?
“…Will hears a voice on the radio calling out his name through a cacophony of static.”
To uncover this memory, Will is encouraged by his therapist Lydia (Chris Xaver) to unpack his father’s old boxes. In one of them is an old HAM radio. Intrigued, Will sets it up, and as if by magic, a call is received. The voice on the other end is Eva (Vickie Hicks), and the two strike up a conversation, who only gets tense when either of the two brings up something personal in their lives. In between conversations with Eva, Will hears a voice on the radio calling out his name through a cacophony of static.
Throughout the film, Will and Eva become friendly. Will, at times, tries to pry into Eva’s life only to be rebuffed. On the other hand, Eva is confused with modern phrases and various news events of the time. Not only is Eva a little “strange,” but she somehow seems connected to Will’s past, including the blind spot in his memory.
Dead Air could have used another re-write or two. What we have is a thriller version of Frequency involving a radio that connects the past and present. Instead of introducing an adult child with the father he never knew, a connection from the past opens up Will’s mysterious past. The idea is pretty good but falls short in execution.
"…the universe has a way of opening old wounds..."
