While the performances of WallDale are a mixed bag, most of the more prominent characters in the ensemble are very good. Bowkett is boring with little screen presence. Thrower tries but never quite inhabits his role. However, Apetrei is a natural leading man, exuding confidence and defiance. Seymour is terrific, being aggressive yet engaging. Walker is stunning, creating a caring, overwhelmed character within just a few scenes. But Bekker steals the show in every scene. She’s got charisma and that elusive “it” factor. This is necessary as Allison becomes essential to the unfolding events as the mystery is solved. She blows everyone else out of the water, being hardened yet sweet, cunning yet naive. Bekker will go on to bigger and better things, for certain.
“…Bekker steals the show…”
The film is very indie, which is evident in the simple lighting setups and lack of real production design. To be fair, that last point might be on purpose, given what is truly happening. Even if that is the case, the locations are bare-bones and visually dull. However, the director does get a lot of mileage out of the mystery of the whole thing. Atmosphere is clearly Cathcart’s forte, because even with the limitations described, he generates an intensity in the air. The action beats that come later in the narrative work well and are exciting.
WallDale hits on some resonant themes, but they have been explored before in very similar stories. However, the director includes enough world-building to keep this from feeling like a complete retread, just predictable in a number of ways. While not every performance delivers, the most important roles were given to excellent actors, with Bekker delivering a truly compelling portrayal. If one likes mystery and sci-fi mixed together, there’s enough intrigue and small moments of originality to make Cathcart’s debut worth checking out.
"…enough intrigue and small moments of originality to make Cathcart's debut worth checking out."
