Hospitality is a 2018 thriller about a woman with a checkered past who must protect her son when a man brings trouble to her isolated bed and breakfast.
Roadside motels have long been home to some of the weirdest and creepiest stories in cinema, with Psycho still leading the charge – though the gap between that film and this one is cavernous – but there’s a respectable seediness to directors Nick Chakwin and David Guglielmo‘s latest film that has some spark. The parts are in place and there’s a few harried performances to celebrate, but it doesn’t quite bring it all together with the punch it seems ready to deliver despite a better last half than first.
Out in the middle of nowhere, Donna (Emmanuelle Chriqui) runs a B&B alone, living with her developmentally-challenged teenage son Jimmy (Conner McVicker), who she claims is ‘touched.’ Back in the day, things were a little different at the motel, with Donna providing extra care, if you know what I mean, to certain folks, something guest Cam (Sam Trammell) remembers when he stops by, this after serving a long prison term. What’s more though, last time he was there, he’d stashed cash in the air ducts and is now looking to collect. Too bad she’s done some remodelling to the place, though he’s not in any hurry and lingers, warmly ingratiating himself into Donna’s life. It all sort of works out until someone else (Jim Beaver) comes looking for a payday.
It’s a clever set up to a story that might have had stronger legs if we were given more reason to invest some interest in these characters, things mostly superficial in keeping the simmering conflict on the surface. Donna was once a working girl for former pimp Hirsch (JR Bourne), who is now the town sheriff, still coming by the house to get his share of the daily receipts … and a little on the side from her, much to her great displeasure. He’s abusive and clearly still holds some power over her. However, an early awkward slap serves as a marker for just exactly what’s off about the movie. It’s delivered with a perfunctness that, like much that follows, has no weight behind it. What’s more, it feels entirely unnecessary in establishing the tone the character is trying to create.
Either way, the relationship between Donna and Cam is better, taking a turn about halfway through that isn’t all that unexpected but does cause a necessary wrinkle in keeping our sympathies in the right place. Both Chriqui and Trammell build some connection with Chriqui especially holding her own as the only woman on screen but most of what happens around her never feels properly earned. These are interesting characters but given very little room to expand.
Set mostly in the ground floor of Donna’s house, this sort of strives for a stage play feel but the dialogue doesn’t crackle with much energy and while Chakwin and Guglielmo offer some serviceable direction, the film itself lacks any recognizable style, never violent enough to feel impactful or emotional enough to make it memorable. As a VOD thriller, it will have appeal for its attempts at old school noir, but simply can’t get elevated enough to really stake its claim.