Anna Cooley directs Kirsten Lankester’s screenplay for Faultline. The dramatic thriller stars Stacie Harrison as Paige and Lankester as her sister Jessie. Paige fled her Canadian hometown 20 years ago after her mom’s death. This left Jessie behind to pick up the pieces. However, fate conspires for Pagie, who’s now a corporate lawyer, to come home. See, her company is set to merge with another whose base of operations is her old stomping yards.
As Paige and head lawyer Scott (Jonathan Hawley Purvis) settle in, she soon gets in over her head. A meeting with her sister reveals that their mother had a secret bank account with over $300,000. Confused and intrigued, Paige and Jessie begin investigating the origins of this account and turn to Paige’s ex/Jessie’s current fling, Detective Brennan (Stafford Perry), for help. But the further they dive into it, the more the events surrounding their mom’s “suicide” come into horrifying clarity. Can Paige get the merger done and get to the truth about this money? Will she and Jessie be able to patch things up or remain estranged?
Faultline starts slow, as there are a number of pieces that need to be put into play. To be honest, the whole merger angle is a mere pretense to the investigative thriller aspects. Most of the story would have played out the same if Paige had come back because of the bank account in question. Of course, specific whys at the end would need to be altered, but the merger does not have much impact.
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“…a secret bank account with over $300,000…Paige and Jessie begin investigating the origins…”
To be fair, excising the merger does mean Scott is not needed, as he impacts very little of the investigation the sisters are conducting. And that would be a crying shame as both the character and the actor are great. Scott helps give humanity to Paige, whose single-minded devotion to her work makes her feel robotic at times. In fact, it is that lack of emotional response that has driven a wedge between the sisters. More on that later, as this is about Scott. Purvis plays him with the right amount of detachment and charm, so audiences question his loyalties until all is made clear. And losing him would be a bigger detriment to the film than the slow-paced first act.
One of the best parts of Faultline is the characters. Paige seemingly cares for no one aside from her career. Jessie blames much of her woes on her sister leaving and their mom’s death. Witnessing these two come together to examine the past as a way to move forward in life is compelling. The subplot involving Brennan adds a layer of depth that wraps up nicely. However, it is Paige and Scott’s b-plot as they work on the merger that brings a humane eye toward the main character. It may be the actors’ chemistry. It could be how their time together ends. No matter what, it just works.
Making one empathize with a corporate lawyer who solely focuses on work is no easy task. However, Harrison excels in the role. She’s believable as the no-nonsense workaholic and as the amateur sleuth. Harrison and Lankester play off each other wonderfully, cementing their family bonds (it helps that they look like they could be sisters in real life). Lankester has some strong comedic moments while still selling the gravity of the situation. Perry is also excellent, having chemistry with the two leads and bringing a methodical approach to everything.
Faultline is a good dramatic thriller that does start slowly. But once everything is in place, it’s engrossing and fun. The cast is more than capable, and all share excellent chemistry across the board. The direction balances the thrills, drama, and humor nicely (see the security guard moment for more). The conclusion is the perfect culmination of everything that comes before.
"…a good dramatic thriller..."
