Borderline

There's nothing quite as disappointing as your typical film that never goes for it, never rises to the occasion, and chooses to play it safe within the expected framework of its genre. There are studios who are created for the sole purpose of outputting these kinds of films. Borderline does not have this problem. Writer/director Jimmy Warden's batshit crazy dark comedy about a celebrity (Samara Weaving) held hostage by an obsessed fan is the kind of balls-to-the-wall lunacy that garnered and kept my attention for its entire 94-minute running-time. This film rules.

While not all of the big swings Borderline makes hit it out of the park, the story, that opens up with Paul Duerson (Ray Nicholson) hallucinating that security guard Bell (Eric Dane) is the object of his infatuation before stabbing him, has far more hits than misses including an absolutely amazing sequence involving Paul's second invasion with the help of two accomplices (Patrick Cox and Warrior Nun's Alba Baptista), one of whom sits down with Sofia (Weaving) for an impromptu duet in her recording studio that is easily one of the best, and most unexpected, joys of 2025.

Thrown in to the mix are Sofia's fuckboy of the moment in Jimmie Fails playing professional basketball star Rhodes, Yasmeen Kelders as Bell's daughter Abby who will play into Paul's deranged plans, April Cameron as Sofia's assistant, and Terence Kelly as a hijacked priest.

Warden, knowing not to allow the story to overstay its welcome, keeps the film short while managing to balance script never letting the humor completely overtake the seriousness of the situation or let the dark moments derail the absurdist energy that fuels the film. Humor is subjective, and I can certainly understand why Borderline might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me (especially after viewing a long string of intense dramas jockeying for awards consideration) Borderline was the perfect salve and the kind of insane movie experience that, if you can sit back and let the wackiness of the script wash over you, is one hell of a fun ride.

• Title: Borderline
• IMDb: link