'Chained' Review: An Exploration of the Cycle of Abuse

Director: Titus Heckel
Starring: Marlon Kazadi, Aleks Paunovic, Adrian Holmes, Roark Critchlow

Synopsis: An abused and bullied boy discovers and befriends a criminal chained inside an abandoned warehouse, but after a violent betrayal the abused becomes the abuser, putting both their lives in peril.

Review:

Taylor (Marlon Kazadi) is a young man who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances -- just not the kind anyone would hope for. After finding a man (Aleks Paunovic) chained up inside a warehouse, rather than calling the police or releasing the unknown individual, Taylor keeps him there, brings him blankets and food. Chained is meant to be a psychological thriller, a tête-à-tête between Taylor and this stranger, unfortunately this part of the film didn't quite land with me. However, I was very taken with director Titus Heckel's exploration of abuse.

Taylor lives in a tense household with a father (Adrian Holmes) who verbally and physically abuses him. Taylor's mom isn't present, her whereabouts are discussed in the film and I won't spoil that here, but the absence of his mom is clearly felt by Taylor.

Through Taylor's dealings with the chained man, we're shown the effect the domestic abuse has had on Taylor. Heckel's does a great job of mirroring Taylor's abuse to the torment he eventually applies to his captive. It's an interesting way of interpreting cyclical abuse that will certainly leave an impression on audiences.

Chained has been recognized and awarded by film festivals and within the indie film industry, but it's a movie that just didn't work for me personally. I wasn't able to believe that Taylor's decisions were set in any level of reality and I wasn't able to look past some of the stilted performances -- ultimately, I didn't have the anticipation a psychological thriller should afford me.

Regardless of my own thoughts on the film, I'm a staunch proponent of supporting Canadian cinema and want to amplify Canadian filmmakers and their work. There's a lot of talent in this country but unfortunately, opportunities for Canadian-made films are few and far between. So go on and give Chained a watch, maybe I'm missing something and need to give it a second chance.

Chained is now available on VOD across Canada.