Guilty Conscience

So many films have featured a protagonist losing their grasp on reality, from big-budget movies like Shutter Island to small-budget affairs like You Go to My Head. But DaCosta upholds the suspense robustly with tightly framed compositions, smooth transitions, and intermittent leaps and gaps in time. These ingredients allow the filmmaker to make a typical suburban house feel frightening and unreal. The garage, for example, is unusually moody. The minimal use of props and flickering, buzzing lighting renders the space into a psychological cell of James’ own making.

There is more than meets the eye both in terms of the characterization of James and the construction of the film’s world. He is clearly wrestling with PTSD, and little by little, you get to the bottom of James’ trauma. Giovanni Marine’s performance as James is completely believable. The actor uses passive-aggressive and overtly hostile behaviors to demonstrate his character’s fear and anxiety. In these moments, Marine escalates his breathing, and his body language grows wearier and fidgetier.

“…DaCosta upholds the suspense robustly…”

James begins getting suspicious of Chanel for a specific reason I won’t mention, although his suspicions here are more ponderous than propulsive. Then DaCosta alters course in the final act, paying attention to James’ handling of grief while simultaneously contributing to the discourse on gun safety. Yes, the abrupt introduction of this topic is jarring. Still, Marine and Asia Niema profoundly convey the harsh typhoon of emotions amid a tragedy. There’s a final histrionic twist that explains everything, but it doesn’t change the film in any major capacity. At the end of the day, this is more about the inner odyssey you take alongside James as he revisits the past and discovers where he went wrong.

With Guilty Conscience, DaCosta centers the story on mental health while still very much operating in the psychological thriller/horror realm. He deliberately amps up the claustrophobia and confusion of the lead’s homely environment to keep the viewer anxious and skeptical of all that they see and hear. This emotionally challenging thriller peels back the layers of trauma and guilt while still providing the necessary thrills and chills of a good psychological thriller.