Run - Movie Review

Critics Score - 6 of 10

General Audience Score - 7 of 10

Single Parent families are on the rise in our modern society, the U.S. leading the way among all countries with many confident, strong women taking the challenges of parenthood head on and raising their children alone. Although there are plenty of single fathers raising children, so many women are busy working secularly as well as molding and shaping the young minds of tomorrow. Run is the story of one such single mother and daughter relationship that has some interesting tricks up it's sleeve. The film is never heavy hitting, doesn't delve into any issues of note, but on the surface is perfectly fine for what it brings to the table. For coming in at just under an hour and a half, it's a perfectly fun, anxiety fueled ride that anyone can enjoy for a quick Run and forget about the moment it's over.

As the film opens, we're introduced to a newborn baby in a hospital with a group of doctors and nurses huddled around it and as the camera pans closer, we see the tiny body with tubes and monitors hooked to it and realize this baby was very premature. The screen cuts away and we see a list of diseases followed by symptoms, the final being paralysis indicated by an inability to run. We then meet the mother of the child, Diane Sherman (Sarah Paulson) asking if the baby is going to be ok and then we fast forward to see the late high school age daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen) zipping around in her wheelchair. Diane is trying to do her best by her daughter, cooking up healthy meals from her own garden and keeping her focused on her studies and school. Paulson is really terrific as her mood and the movie turn dark when Chloe begins to questions some of the parental decisions made by her mother. As one by one each domino falls and smacks into the next, Chloe's suspicion turn into fear and then outright panic as the happy mother/daughter dynamic begins to sour as Diane fills with a bitter, controlling desire to subjugate her daughter. Chloe's paralysis and wheelchair are the main obstacles preventing her from being able to find the answers to her rising suspicions but her ingenuity and determination override all her fear and apprehension. But Diane is cunning and resourceful as she senses her control over the situation is starting to slip away and resorts to dastardly deeds once Chloe starts trying to tell others about her plight.

Although the conclusion is exactly what you'd expect it to be, it has some fun and inventive twists and turns to keep us on our toes on the way there. While Chloe is the one we're rooting for along the way, Run is almost as much of Diane's story as well. We relate to Diane initially as in some aspects of her life she cares for Chloe deeply and wants the best for her daughter but we see the harmful side of needing someone so much it devolves into a desire to excersize power over and control them. While Run does lack any definite originality and leans heavily on films of old, even if they are great films such as Misery and Phantom Thread, it executes them in a very generic and predictable way. The cinematography is nothing to write home about but one shot in particular at night showcased some really impressive work. The screenplay and sound are very solid and the short runtime and pacing work heavily in the films favor by maintaining a decent level of drama and stress for the duration. But even the drama and tension the film create isn't top notch and never reaches the peak of many other thrillers in it's same genre. And while relative newcomer Allen is doing some fine work in her debut feature film role, it's Paulson who really impresses as an overbearing mom pushed to the edge.

SUMMARY - While Run never really picks up a full head of steam it does what it's doing well enough to make for an entertaining quick film for those that have access to Hulu. It will keep you engaged, show you a good time but it definitely won't blow you away or leave you in shock at the end and you'll forget all about it as soon as the credits Run.