Reviewed by Melissa Garza
Sara (Amber Jaeger) and Mark (Kieron Elliott) seemingly have the perfect marriage, when out of nowhere Sara develops agoraphobia. Attempting a routine morning jog, she got as far as the end of the driveway before bolting back in the house in a panic.
At first she doesn’t discuss the ordeal with Mark who heads out to work for the day. Her estranged sister Gina (Kristine Sullivan) arrives in an attempt to make peace. Sara confronts her about an affair she was having with a married man when Gina quickly tells her that the relationship is long done. Satisfied, the two begin chit-chatting when Sara reveals that she suffered the bout with anxiety. Gina offers to attempt assistance by having a Nobel Peace Prize Winner doctor examine her. At first, she resists but when Mark comes home she talks to him about it. The ever supportive husband tells her he’ll take the day off of work the next day to meet the doctor with her.
The next morning, Sara awakes to find Mark missing. When Doctor Reznik (Andrew Qamar) arrives he believes that the fear she is feeling may be associated with the panic attacks, but after some pleading, he calls the police. As an agoraphobic, she is unable to leave the home and the phones have mysteriously been cut.
Stranger things occur as everyone begins insisting Mark has been gone for six months. She tries to prove them wrong by picking up a box she had put the body of a bird in that had died two days prior. When she opens it she’s shocked to see it was now just a skeleton.
Soon, she begins seeing Mark and hearing noises coming from a spare room that was locked shut. The entire conclusion surrounds the contents within the room and how it fits into the suspense that was built throughout.
Overall, the film was mostly satisfying. It was very similar in tone to “Dead End” which was by far the superior of the two movies. Though, “Solitary” was an interesting worthwhile watch, there are a lot of questions that are either unanswered or answered with a cheap twist. Without providing any spoilers, it’s the equivalent of the now famous conclusion of “it was aliens.” All the strange activities are now explained simply by this cheap answer which cannot be argued.
Otherwise, the acting was well-done and the film throughout was interesting. If only the ending had really delved into the questions created throughout the movie rather than what they had chosen.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
