By SHAWN MACOMBER
Starring Natalie Cabo, Matt Steiner and Hayley Griffith
Directed by Maren Lavelle
Written by Maren Lavelle and Matt Steiner
One-Eyed Rabbit
“Happiness,” the great, recently reactivated ’90s Boston post-hardcore band Six Going on Seven once crooned, “is Method acting. So too, apparently is horror.
That’s the harrowing cautionary tale writer/director Maren Lavelle (WENDY, MAYA) spins in her deftly rendered, remarkable CLIFTON PARK, a cults ’n’ Stanislavski opus that debuts as part of the Sunday shorts block at Los Angeles’ Screamfest this weekend.
You know the old saw, “Never meet your heroes.” Well, Mari (Natalie Cabo) is about to learn how true it can be the very hard way. Here she is, a superfan of The Ambassadors, a New York City experimental theater company that is extremely selective about the actors with whom they work…and Mari is over the moon when she gets the opportunity for a one-on-one audition.
Before you can say, “And…action!” Mari is headed upstate to an isolated house with troupe director Sam (Matt Steiner, who also co-wrote the screenplay) and Claire (Hayley Griffith, SATANIC PANIC), who is either co-producer or co-conspirator depending upon when you catch her. At first the pair are full of fulsome, almost personally invasive praise for Mari. Indeed, they are so convinced she has the chops to wow audiences in the new sex-cult play they’re workshopping–yes, we hear those alarm bells, too, Mari–that they’ve decided to stay in demented character all weekend. You know, to do the work.
Mari is nervous but, at least initially, game. And we, the audience, are her: How many red flags do any of us swat down when we’re so close to something we think we want? It doesn’t have to be a springboard role. It could be a relationship curdling before it even hits the saucer, a job that is more cage than stepping stone, an invite to the party that degrades the soul. But as Sam and Claire’s behavior becomes more confrontational, controlling and debased–I’m pretty sure there’s a homage to Norman Bates in here, but no spoilers–Mari realizes her greatest performance may just be surviving the night.
CLIFTON PARK is a smart, unsettling psychological thriller, with emphasis on the “psycho.” Much credit to Lavelle and Steiner for a snappy script and to Lavelle for her assured direction and pacing. None of this would’ve worked without nuanced, next-level acting, however, and in this respect the film really soars. The luminous Cabo, giving future feature-star vibes, delivers an affecting, multilayered performance that is equal parts authentic and vulnerable, drawing out empathy and chuckles–even when you wish she would make different decisions. Griffith is a sly, beguiling charmer, constantly keeping you guessing which side (if any!) she might be on as she ping-pongs between ally and accessory. And Steiner? Good Lord, does he play a great cheerful menace–legitimately scary both as a sadist and as an artiste.
Hopefully, CLIFTON PARK won’t be the last journey this crew takes together–though for their characters’ sakes, maybe next time they can rehearse in a place with less stabby accessories.
