Valley View Motel

Bluesky

“This is a true story,” says the onscreen message at the start of Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis’ latest Frightfest contribution “...sort of.” Exactly what true story it pertains to is not quite clear – it could be the biggest fib since Fargo, whose directors this pair are clearly striving to emulate – but that doesn’t really matter, as it has an energy of its own. Whilst they could probably make a better film if they stopped trying too hard to imitate their various idols, smothering their own voice in the process, the yarn they deliver is certainly good enough to entertain on an average Saturday night.

It’s 1977, and Cliff (Ignatius) phones his wife, Toni (Corin Clay), to let her know that he’ll be late home ‘from work’. Toni is annoyed – she’s been preparing his favourite meal – but she’s also worried, because she knows that tone in his voice, that way he has of dodging the question. It’s implied that she’s thought about leaving him because of it but, well, they still love one another. He tells her not to fret, and if anything goes wrong – if anyone comes to the house – to call a particular number.

Perhaps, under more ordinary circumstances, that might have been enough, but Cliff doesn’t know very much about what he’s getting into. He doesn’t know who he and best friend Reg (Soulo Smith) are ripping off, and he doesn’t know that Reg is going to start shooting people. Indebted to a scary loan shark, Reg figures that the haul split four ways won’t give him enough, so he takes their accomplices out of the picture. What he doesn’t know is that news of the heist is about to be delivered to an elderly gentleman in an elegant drawing room, and that gentleman has a much more dangerous individual in his employ than anyone the loan shark is likely to find.

Enter Hal (Psinakis), a quiet, well-mannered high school maths teacher with a sideline in murder. Conversational with his victims, he’s something of a cliché, but his fondness for self-help books and affirmation tapes is a nice touch; likewise a scene in which he remembers discovering his mother’s line of business. He captures a different side of the Seventies, far from the swagger of the two robbers, distinct from the sleaze of the two other criminals we will meet when these and the film’s other main characters – a Korean immigrant mother and daughter looking to build a new life in the US – converge on the titular motel.

With a bag of diamonds in the balance and the dealer who can turn it into cash due to arrive the following day, tensions are running high as these characters collide. There are plenty of twists but no real surprises; the whole thing feels as if it could reset at any moment, like one of those TV programmes where memories seem to lapse at the end of each week’s episode. The editing is tight and there are some great set pieces; Ignatius and Psinakis know what they want and most of the time, they get it. What’s less clear is what any of it is actually trying to say.

This is the directors’ fourth feature together; their second at Frightfest, after Cheat. They have obvious talent and yet it still feels as if their primary concern is to show what they can do, rather than getting on and doing it. Valley View Motel’s most interesting moment comes near the end, when a simple act of generosity invites a twist of fate. Here the narrative extends beyond stock thriller stuff and the obligatory quirky characters. There is room to take a chance.

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