Trunk: Locked In

Claustrophobia may be one of the most effective and easily exploited experiences that sets the bedrock for a compelling thriller. Whether it’s being confined by a sniper in Phone Booth, being pursued by humanoid monsters in The Descent, or waking up in a coffin underground in Buried, we find ourselves revisiting these familiar stomping grounds time and again. Regardless of how the plot and characters are utilized, if a film expertly harnesses a relentless claustrophobic atmosphere, audiences will gravitate to it and be heavily affected. If you are on the lookout for a movie that nails this particular brand of tension-building, Marc Schießer’s Trunk: Locked In may be precisely what you’re after.

“Malina wakes up in the trunk of a grimy car, unable to move her legs.”

Malina (Sina Martens) wakes up in the trunk of a grimy car, unable to move her legs. She also doesn’t remember how she got there. Just before a shadowy figure (Poal Cairo) locks her in and drives the car down the neon-lit, rain-drenched German streets, she manages to secure her smartphone inside the trunk with her. Now locked in a race against time, Malina must decipher how and why she was kidnapped while also asking the scant few people she can reach to help her out of an increasingly dire situation.

Trunk: Locked In is simultaneously two contrasting experiences. First and foremost, this is a taut and visceral ride. Daniel Ernst and Tui Lohf’s dynamic cinematography molds the setting into a fascinating visual feast for the eyes. The unusual color palette and shadowy lighting design afford every shot a profound level of tactility and kineticism. When this visual landscape crashes headlong into Jürgen Funk’s crunchy and invasive sound design, it elevates the circumstances to that of pure primal terror. White knuckles come easily and often as each scene reveals Malina’s situation to be far more harrowing than anyone initially comprehends. And considering that 90% of the flick is seemingly spent pressed against Malina’s cheek, the audio/visual results can easily be considered amazing, if not downright masterful.