Run

From Aneesh Chaganty comes a horror thriller that follows a mother who lost her child during early pregnancy. Fast forward a few years later, she has a girl she takes care of. The teenager has 5 major medical conditions - asthma, diabetes, hemochromatosis, arrhythmia and... she is paralyzed from abdomen down. Diane (Sarah Paulson) home-schools her daughter, overprotects her... basically looking after all the welfare. In the beginning, it's fine. But as the runtime strolls, you could, just as the protagonist Chloe (Kiera Allen) does, sense something is wrong.

Chloe, despite disabled and sick-ridden, is courageous and smart. She can't help but feel manipulated and controlled by her mother after a certain point. The absence of internet service and the fact that Diane constantly denies receiving any college letters become increasingly suspicious. But what eventually broke the camel's back are those green pills that Diane keeps serving Chloe. From finding out those pills were named for Diane instead to eventually realizing those are canine leg medicines which could paralyse a human's legs if consumed, it's extremely shocking and intense! Speaking of what's intense, the entire sequence of Chloe climbing across the roof from her room to the other side of her house is Run's biggest highlight! It's incredibly choreographed, shot and performed, and as for the audiences, it's a tough yet rewarding watch!

Diane's character could come off as one-note - she's possessive about her daughter and... that's it, but Sarah Paulson's performance is good regardless. The premise is surprisingly stretchable to fit the runtime of a feature that doesn't feel forced or artificially elongated. There are a few ideas here that are iffy, with examples being a random stranger getting connected on the phone who helps Chloe to Google the meaning of Trigoxin and the scavenging hunt game lie. But by far the one notion that spoils the entire picture and Chloe's character is her revenge on Diane at the very end. It is totally unnecessary and it renders Chloe no different from Diane. Before we forget, while the baby at the start is blatantly obvious a puppet, the amazing score lets you turn an eye blind.