But the second (and underlying) experience is a completely derivative story riddled with holes and clichés. That isn’t to say that the actors are weak. Martens and Cairo lead the cast with stellar performances, with Martens maintaining a truly impressive level of frenetic energy throughout. But this dedication doesn’t stop several major plot points and the bulk of the dialogue from being overly predictable and (at times) outright silly.
The worst scene is when Malina is reading aloud instructions from Google about how to break out of the car. This culminates in the only fourth wall break in Trunk: Locked In when she reads an especially useless and obvious bit of advice. And when Malina manages to get loved ones and even the police on the line, these other voices rarely amount to living and breathing characters. While the content of these exchanges could be passable, the volume at which Malina reacts to them pushes them into the ridiculous. There isn’t a solitary fiber of my being that believes her captor cannot hear her talking.
“Martens and Cairo lead the cast with stellar performances…”
Sure, during Malina’s initial attempts to break free from the trunk and get the attention of others, I was fully invested in her struggle. But my suspension of disbelief was utterly destroyed by the time she uses a crowbar to punch out one of the car’s tail lights from inside, and the driver only mistakes it for more of her unruly yelling. This only happens because the plot demands this obliviousness in order to set up the final act. While the final stretch manages a couple more genuine twists which add palpable layers of stress to the ordeal, the climax can be seen coming from miles away, and its potential for a riveting, nail-shearing finale doesn’t pay off half as well as it should have.
But while these shortfalls would undermine most other features, the technical proficiency and stylistic creativity elevate Trunk: Locked In beyond what its plot synopsis would lead you to believe. You won’t find any pivotal innovations in the narrative formula, but you will find an atmosphere and tempo that screams claustrophobia and desperation in every frame.
"…an atmosphere and tempo that screams claustrophobia and desperation in every frame."
