Four years after the disappearance of Sam’s daughter, ten-year-old Sophie MacKenzie, four friends meet for a fishing trip at Sam’s cabin in the woods of Pennsylvania. Based on Sophie’s diary entry, Sam (Adam Sinclair) is convinced that one of his friends is responsible. “Refuge” (2026) is a brutal, unflinching and hilarious portrait of male friendships showing the limits of unconditional acceptance. Not all men, but always a man: Sam discovers that based on each man’s past, any of them would be a credible suspect or sell each other out to save themselves, but they are also pretty empathetic to their friend torturing them because they understand what he is going through and have tried to support him. Writer and director Anton Sigurdsson made a genuinely entertaining, thoughtful and side-splitting torture buddy comedy thriller.
“Refuge” is a film that makes a meal out of a morsel with its single location, four-person, on-screen cast and off-screen voice actors playing one of the men’s alibi, the police or news casters. Shot in Lake Placid, New York, the serene, isolated and bucolic location is the perfect place for a boys weekend of drinking, fishing and shit-talking, but it is also a great way to isolate people and torture them without anyone suspecting anything awry. Out of all four characters, Sam is the most inscrutable other than the desperation in his voice during the opening sequence created with an audio found footage, news archive mix to catch the audience up in the most economical fashion with his bare bones backstory. The sound of static as a television station channel changes symbolizes how even though Sam is in the present, his brain is constantly switching and stuck in the trauma of the past. Sigurdsson uses mirrors, reflections and glass windows to reflect the prism of his personality: the mask of the easygoing man excited to see his friends and the real man who is capable of any level of violence. Sinclair has a Scottish accent, which makes him further stand out among his friends. Even the opening credits mostly obscure his face.
Sigurdsson occasionally shoots him head-on, but he is like a mythic figure, a voice and pain suddenly appearing in ordinary men’s world like a spectre from a completely different movie. His psychological dynamic is conveyed with editor Sharif M. Es. Ali intercutting the archival sequence with the peaceful environment. Composer Yo Miyashita’s intense electronic score sets the real tone while the slow-motion montage of guys joshing is the lie. If you remember the soundtrack from “The Substance” (2024), you have an idea of how good the score is without any sneak peeks. Sinclair delivers a great performance, and it is always easy to believe that Sam would kill anyone at anytime even if they were not guilty because he thought that they could get him to closer to the actual kidnapper.
In interest of full disclosure, it could be because I watch too many movies, am a lawyer who has actually met pedophiles and people who keep women and children in their basement, or it was supposed to be obvious, but I correctly guessed who it was. Hint: does the person answer the question or deflect and want you to answer the question for them with a no? Also how often does the story change? The movie depicts manipulation accurately. “Refuge” does a great job portraying each person and their dynamic, which makes it feel authentic even though it is a movie. Whether the dialogue was improvised or Sigurdsson wrote it, the cast made it seem natural and will keep you laughing out loud even during the most intense moments. When Sigurdsson introduces the three friends, the camera movement veers right to left like watching a verbal tennis match at the pace of their conversation. Completely clueless regarding what will befall then, they are in an Adam Sandler movie about a casual weekend reunion.
Barry (Donald Paul) is the financially successful one in the group. Jay (Christopher Dietrick) and Mike (Adam Dorsey) are brothers. Jay is one year LA sober, and Mike resents him. Their reaction to Sam’s torture is realistic as they panic, try to escape, bluster, turn on and console each other. They keep living in denial about the gravity of their situation, and Sam keeps proving that he is serious. The interrogation scenes are perfectly timed. Intentionally or not, Sigurdsson shows that the margin of acceptable inappropriate behavior for men is wide enough that a pedophile can sneak in and go unnoticed. It also implicitly asks a couple of questions. Why is that behavior acceptable and not chastised until their lives are impacted? How could they not know anything about what they are capable of though they know each other very well? How much violence are they capable of inflicting either by omission or action though they like each other. These are serious topics, but “Refuge” does not feel like a serious movie. The stakes stay high, and the jokes are organic. For instance, during one group interrogation, Jay finds out that a shared acquaintance died of cancer, and Barry must walk him through it. They are the funniest pairing in the group while Mike and Sam appear to be more similar in terms of relating to each other on a personal level. If one had to be chosen as the comedic relief, Jay would definitely win the prize because he even makes Sam funny during a particularly horrific torture session.
Without being heavy handed, “Refuge” plays realistically regarding which friend will become the first prime suspect. Anyone familiar with Tamla Forsford’s death will not be surprised. It amplifies the dynamic of betrayal that occurs throughout the entire film. When there is an escape opportunity, he does not learn from his earlier experience and still prioritizes others whether through helping them escape at great physical discomfort. Lots of lessons are embedded in the story. What do these friends have to offer him when they are dependent on him and offer nothing in return while thinking the worst of him?
There is also the joke about men wanting connection, being connected, but embarrassed to show affection. Throughout “Refuge,” it feels possible that no one did it, and the only way to help Sam through this ongoing crisis is through violence. There is another humorous scene where two of the characters check in with each other during a torture break. One has no problem expressing a sincere emotion, and the other mumbles it in another room.
“Refuge” is a consistently entertaining, tense, satisfying revenge thriller with more substance behind its violent veneer. If it works so well on a small screen, imagine how great it would be on the big one. It is a shame that indie films like this one do not get a chance to get seen on the big screen because it has a better story, better visuals and better acting than a lot of films with a bigger budget and bigger names. 10 out of 10. No notes.
