Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: NO RUNNING [Tribeca Film Festival 2021 -Virtual]
The aspect of genre as a construct meant to address social issues and injustice is an interesting play but it depends how much it meshes together. A series for example like "Them!" (on Amazon) quite effectively showed the aspect of psychological horror with more than a little moving under the surface in terms of genre. "No Running" [Juneteenth/Online World Premiere] mixes the ideas of a small town, unexplained phenomena and racial tensions and profiling into a mixed bucket where the truths and mysteries tend to slide back and forth. Jaylen (played by Skylan Brooks with focus) is\ trying to find his way in the town but is given sideways looks, even by those supposed to be his friend. His backstory, which involves some kind of a run-in in an area his family lived previously, is kept vague but would have shown a balance of paranoia. the phenomena itself which keys into an aspect of disappearance, is used to great advantage in a pressure cooker situation but is more precipitated off screen without giving any true reveal (other than a metaphor). Every character has a motivation but that doesn't make it the right one at all. One character in one generation becomes a pariah but the idea of salvation or escape is plays in different metaphorical contexts depending on the person. What is right versus what is just is two different things. Shane West's Sheriff does bring that ambiguity at certain points but again the details are kept vague (beyond the aspect of whatever it is that is being covered up). Ultimately "No Running" asks the viewer to make up their own mind despite the many gaps in logic regarding the McGuffin at the middle. The trauma and meaning though are clear in Jaylen's journey. B-
By Tim Wassberg
