When Run was released, it received pretty mixed reviews. Some dismissed it as a feeble attempt at a follow up to Aneesh Chaganty‘s previous movie, Searching, which was remarkably well-received for a feature film debut. Others loved it purely because they’re Sarah Paulson fan girls. Me? I fall somewhere in between.
Run is a psychological thriller starring Paulson and Kiera Allen, a real-life wheelchair user who makes her movie debut here. It tells the story of Chloe and the fact that her mother home schools her due to her disability and her allergies. Her whole life, Chloe has been sheltered and hidden away from the world for the most part, rarely going anywhere without the assistance of Paulson’s Diane, until one day she discovers that her mother has been stashing her college acceptance letters away in order to keep her at home with her forever. The film then becomes a fight for Chloe to escape her mother’s grasp and find out the truth about many other dark secrets she is keeping from her.
Is Sarah Paulson even Sarah Paulson if she’s not playing a crazed psychopath? She gives off proper Annie Wilkes vibes in this and I’m not mad about it!
The plot itself is a weird one for me. On the one hand, it’s very clear where it’s going pretty much from the start. On the other hand, it’s kind of exciting to see it all play out. So whilst the story itself is incredibly obvious, the intense tone is crafted so well that the spice levels remain just hot enough to enjoy the rather entertaining ride.
What deserves a lot of praise (above all else) is Kiera Allen‘s performance. Completely unknown she may be, but she’s bloody incredible here. Paulson is as great as she always is, of course, but the portrayal of fear and confusion by Allen is incredibly impressive for an actor with so little apparent experience. Props to the casting department for casting a real-life wheelchair user too, especially in a main role – this is something that doesn’t happen anywhere near enough in Hollywood, but this is a good step forward.
So is Run as good as Chaganty’s first movie, Searching? Probably not. Sadly, most of the critics were right. Nevertheless, it’s really quite a fun, anxiety-abducting, heart attack of a watch. The script is concise and effective, the soundtrack is mostly well placed, and the two lead performances are excellent. Even if I am biased as a Paulson stan.
There’s a lot of dislike floating around for this movie, and I’m not saying it’s life-changing, but you know what? It’s a sub-90 minute movie that is well worth your time in my opinion. You’ll probably never think about it again, but it’s a solid piece of filmmaking regardless.
Run is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
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Overall Rating: ½
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