May 9, 2025
FILM: SHARP CORNER
DIRECTED BY: JASON BUXTON
STARRING: BEN FOSTER, COBIE SMULDERS, GAVIN DREA
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Sharp Corner begins as a small family moves into a new suburban home. It’s a beautiful place with big windows and lots of space. The only problem is it sits on a street which features a deadly curve right in front of the home. On their first night there, a car loses control and slams into the family’s tree killing the driver. It is disturbing to say the least. How the family responds to it is what shapes the film. Based on a short story, it stars Ben Foster as Josh McCall and Cobie Smulders as his wife Rachel. They’re both very good actors and the situation their characters’ face is one any home buyer would shudder to imagine. Then it happens again…and again.
Writer/director Jason Buxton creates a menacing tone throughout the film. Part of this is logical given the location of the home. We’re always on edge thinking another accident might occur at any moment. Foster’s take on Josh provides most of the intrigue. He becomes obsessed with the crashes and begins to find out what he can about the victims. More important though he seems to be waiting for the next accident to occur – almost wanting it to happen. Since he was unable to save the lives of early victims, he studies CPR and wants to use it. Meanwhile their son Max becomes more frightened in the home while Rachel is ready to move. However, something keeps Josh from wanting to leave. Is this PTSD rearing its head due to the first accident?
Josh is a very interesting character, although we don’t really learn a lot about what he was like prior to the move. He’s working at an ad agency and has just been passed over for a promotion by the younger man whom he trained. He clearly is not happy with his job. Rachel is a therapist and seems to be the strong voice of reason within the marriage. She’s bothered by Josh’s obsessive behavior and worries about its effects on Max. Questions remain though as to what their prior life together had been like. Has Josh always been this obsessive? I wanted more details.
Given this, Ben Foster has always been an interesting actor who isn’t always easy to read. With his middle-aged, receding hairline and moustache he could come across as a victim himself but he also seems a bit unhinged. There’s a mysterious quality surrounding his presence. What is the character trying to overcome and accomplish? Is he in need of control? Most likely, yes. Does he really want to save lives or is there some kind of dark drive within him that wants these accidents to occur? This seems disturbing and it is. Perhaps that’s why Foster works well in this role. He doesn’t give us clear answers and depicts a character that might want it both ways. As such, it’s hard to know how to feel about him. Is he really a victim of PTSD or is he causing others to have it?
The film also raises a few other questions such as whether these tragedies are part of some kind of divine purpose or if they are randomly occurring. This leads Josh to take matters into his own hands, for better or for worse. It’s also evident that Josh is aware of how unhelpful other people are in situations like this. One car drives off after causing one of the accidents, a second simply drives by after another. Then there’s the sports team that hops out of a bus and begins recording what they see on their phones rather than rushing to help. Clearly this indicates a priority issue in our culture.
One of the other interesting elements of the film is its sound design. We often hear approaching cars at various speeds and, like Josh, anticipate another possible crash, keeping us on edge. The varying questionable needs of transportation in society is a running motif throughout as characters comment on commuting, take a train at an amusement park, and observe Max, who sleeps with bed sheets featuring spaceships, stage a car accident with his miniature cars. Have we also become obsessed with our need to constantly be on the move? Is this the disadvantage of moving further and further out to more rural locations?
Overall, the film is an interesting psychological story about PTSD, communication, transportation, and obsession in the modern world. How it affects one family is disturbing but intriguing to watch.
Sharp Corner opens in limited theatrical release today.
FILM: SHARP CORNER
DIRECTED BY: JASON BUXTON
STARRING: BEN FOSTER, COBIE SMULDERS, GAVIN DREA
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Sharp Corner begins as a small family moves into a new suburban home. It’s a beautiful place with big windows and lots of space. The only problem is it sits on a street which features a deadly curve right in front of the home. On their first night there, a car loses control and slams into the family’s tree killing the driver. It is disturbing to say the least. How the family responds to it is what shapes the film. Based on a short story, it stars Ben Foster as Josh McCall and Cobie Smulders as his wife Rachel. They’re both very good actors and the situation their characters’ face is one any home buyer would shudder to imagine. Then it happens again…and again.
Writer/director Jason Buxton creates a menacing tone throughout the film. Part of this is logical given the location of the home. We’re always on edge thinking another accident might occur at any moment. Foster’s take on Josh provides most of the intrigue. He becomes obsessed with the crashes and begins to find out what he can about the victims. More important though he seems to be waiting for the next accident to occur – almost wanting it to happen. Since he was unable to save the lives of early victims, he studies CPR and wants to use it. Meanwhile their son Max becomes more frightened in the home while Rachel is ready to move. However, something keeps Josh from wanting to leave. Is this PTSD rearing its head due to the first accident?
Josh is a very interesting character, although we don’t really learn a lot about what he was like prior to the move. He’s working at an ad agency and has just been passed over for a promotion by the younger man whom he trained. He clearly is not happy with his job. Rachel is a therapist and seems to be the strong voice of reason within the marriage. She’s bothered by Josh’s obsessive behavior and worries about its effects on Max. Questions remain though as to what their prior life together had been like. Has Josh always been this obsessive? I wanted more details.
Given this, Ben Foster has always been an interesting actor who isn’t always easy to read. With his middle-aged, receding hairline and moustache he could come across as a victim himself but he also seems a bit unhinged. There’s a mysterious quality surrounding his presence. What is the character trying to overcome and accomplish? Is he in need of control? Most likely, yes. Does he really want to save lives or is there some kind of dark drive within him that wants these accidents to occur? This seems disturbing and it is. Perhaps that’s why Foster works well in this role. He doesn’t give us clear answers and depicts a character that might want it both ways. As such, it’s hard to know how to feel about him. Is he really a victim of PTSD or is he causing others to have it?
The film also raises a few other questions such as whether these tragedies are part of some kind of divine purpose or if they are randomly occurring. This leads Josh to take matters into his own hands, for better or for worse. It’s also evident that Josh is aware of how unhelpful other people are in situations like this. One car drives off after causing one of the accidents, a second simply drives by after another. Then there’s the sports team that hops out of a bus and begins recording what they see on their phones rather than rushing to help. Clearly this indicates a priority issue in our culture.
One of the other interesting elements of the film is its sound design. We often hear approaching cars at various speeds and, like Josh, anticipate another possible crash, keeping us on edge. The varying questionable needs of transportation in society is a running motif throughout as characters comment on commuting, take a train at an amusement park, and observe Max, who sleeps with bed sheets featuring spaceships, stage a car accident with his miniature cars. Have we also become obsessed with our need to constantly be on the move? Is this the disadvantage of moving further and further out to more rural locations?
Overall, the film is an interesting psychological story about PTSD, communication, transportation, and obsession in the modern world. How it affects one family is disturbing but intriguing to watch.
Sharp Corner opens in limited theatrical release today.