Sharp Corner (2025)

What I appreciated most about Buxton's thriller is how it didn't lean into sensational or exaggerated takes, allowing instead his protagonist to slow spiral into a very realistic deterioration. I fully expected his actions to become more and more depraved, but as the story went on, it felt realistic. He does some terrible things but never beyond what we can see him able to justify to himself. This was truly effective and chilling as it is something you could see happen to someone you know. 

Foster is wonderful here, bringing the reality of this man's understanding of his world to life. He also doesn't take his character into parody but instead keeps him quite grounded. He plays him like an everyman. We all know this neighbour, friend, family member. 

The ending is strikingly emotional as it forces us to sit with an uncomfortable realization that these things don't always work out. Again, perhaps trained by decades of Hollywood movies, I was expecting an explosive finish (perhaps literally in this case) and the film delivers something far more unsettling than that in its final moments. Foster in the final shot sticks the landing in a quiet way. 

Sharp Corner

Starring: Ben Foster, Cobie Smulders, William Kosovic
Writer/Director: Jason Buxton