The Abandon

by Mike McGranaghan

The Abandon is in the tradition of movies like Cube, Escape Room, and Inside, where people are trapped in a finite space and have to determine whether there’s a way to get out. Although the general concept has been done before, this independent production finds a fresh approach. What begins as a tense thriller evolves into something with unexpected emotional substance.

Miles Willis (Jonathan Rosenthal) is a soldier in the Iraq War. He’s knocked unconscious during a firefight. Upon awakening, he finds himself trapped inside a nondescript cube with the words “ABANDON HOPE” scrawled on the ceiling. Conditions inside the cube change at regular intervals. It becomes hot and cold, it spins around, and the walls gradually close in. Miles has no clue where he is or how he got there. His only lifeline is a connection to Damsey (Tamara Perry), a voice he connects with on his Army phone. She appers to be in a similar cube somewhere else.

Early scenes in The Abandon are tension-filled as Miles goes through one agony after another, trying to figure out how to deal with the cube’s many perils. Writer Dwain Worrell continually finds new challenges for him to grapple with, effectively keeping the film from becoming static. The second half leans more heavily on mystery, as Miles and Damsey notice several crucial, yet less obvious qualities of the cube – qualities they could possibly use to their advantage.

The Abandon is a perfect example of the importance of production design. Because the cube is thoroughly convincing on a visual level, we easily buy into the dangers it presents. Miles genuinely does feel trapped inside of it. Tons of elaborate CGI effects are unnecessary when the physical set can do most of the heavy lifting. Rosenthal essentially acts opposite the set for much of the running time. His performance is equal parts determination and panic, allowing us to envision ourselves as co-captors.

Like many lower-budgeted pictures, The Abandon has a few rough edges. The movie circumvents them by deepening its story. Aside from being a survival tale, this is about what human connection can mean to us in the toughest of times. The Miles/Damsey dynamic is the heart of the film, and the way that dynamic is resolved hits in a manner you don’t anticipate. You may come for the thrills, but the human center is what will impact you most.

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