Nerve (2013)

Nerve is a new Aussie independent feature that is well worth checking out! It has uncovered great new talent in the film's director and the two leads who play Jakob and Grace. The film is a successful moody, dark take on one man's obsession to discover the identity of his dead wife's lover and is certainly an entertaining ride! Both the cinematography and musical score are fantastic and underpins the narrative fabulously. It is great to see inner city Sydney appear in the film in a gritty, dark way and becoming like another character in the film. Nerve also has a supporting cast featuring well known faces like Gary Sweet and Cameron Daddo but the stand out is Georgina Haig who plays Grace who is luminous on screen and delivers a strong performance through out alongside Christian Clark's Jakob. Following the screenings at this year's Sydney Film Festival, there were some less than positive reviews about the film which was surprising to read, as Nerve overall is bold debut. It is not a flashy, big budget film but a local, quiet achiever that slowly draws you in and keeps you guessing.

A man Jakob Evans played by Christian Clark is determined to find closure after he discovers his wife, who is tragically killed in a car accident had been having an affair. First time feature director, Sebastien Guy cleverly guides the audience through Jakob's tangled journey as he becomes more and more obsessed about his former wife's mystery lover and embarks on a mission to discover this man's identity and track him down. Unable to live surrounded by reminders of his wife in the home they shared, Jakob rents a room in a seedy share house with a disturbed junkie-ish girl Grace (Georgina Haig) whom he befriends and enlists to help him. The pieces of the puzzle come together bit by bit throughout the film, resulting in a fascinating twist at the end. It can be likened to Christopher Nolan's Momento both in mood and narrative, and like Momento, there are a lot of questions and answers which aren't served on a platter which only adds to the intrigue.

Nerve is a tense, spare, atmospheric thriller. Reminiscent in moments of the superb Silver Linings Playbook, it explores the psychological trauma that ensues when a relationship breaks down. In the case of Nerve, we explore this via Jakob Evans, superbly played by Christian Clark, a man devastated by the double shock of discovering his wife's affair shortly before her death in a car accident.Filled with a quiet, simmering desperation, Jakob seems disturbingly more obsessed with his wife's affair than her death. Trying to break away from his old life, he takes a filthy room in a run-down house, shared with a troubled young woman, Grace. Jakob appears to be trying to punish himself as much as escape himself, and we feel the agony of his empty, aimless, self-imposed exile. There's an extraordinary moment when Jakob attempts to clean a mattress so filthy no homeless person would dare touch it. This, and other small moments, hint at the desire within him to repair something, however small and repressed.His flatmate, Grace, only mocks and rebukes him, until he defies her violent boyfriend. Grace is perhaps the weakest link in the story – a character that is initially devoid of charm, who transforms somewhat abruptly into a willing accomplice in Jakob's journey to find his wife's lover and confront him.Intercut throughout are fragments of counseling sessions with Jakob's therapist, a strikingly beautiful Andrea Demetriades. The sessions are at once mundane and disconcerting, an effect emphasized by drifting extreme close-ups, where the characters' faces are sometimes off centre and even off screen. Jakob is angry and aggressive, but the camera often hovers on Demetriade's sensual lips and throat. It's intriguing and unsettling, reinforcing our belief that something is not right. Of course, the climax arrives when Jakob finds his wife's ex-lover. It's not a completely satisfying climax, but there is an excellent, powerful twist – and like all good twists, most will not see it coming, but will think it completely obvious in hindsight.Nerve is a subtle, slow-burner of a film that no doubt required exceptional discipline from director Sebastien Guy, but also asks patience of the viewer. Those looking for the slick, Hollywood style roller-coaster will be disappointed – this is a film that builds slowly, with spare and often very simple exchanges. It's not a perfect film, and certainly, there are scenes and exchanges that would have benefited from further script revisions.Credit must be given to Clark for delivering a character at once sympathetic and inscrutable, divided by rage and guilt and doubt. Credit, too, must be given to director Sebastien Guy, not only for eliciting such a fabulous performance, but for weaving a slow, powerful feeling of loss and guilt and rage. The cinematography is excellent and serves the story well, and there is a brilliantly moody, atmospheric score.Nerve is a strong debut by Guy and a fine film by any standards. Rumours of a tight budget and impossibly short shooting schedule only emphasize the skill and achievement of all involved. I would recommend it highly.

An engrossing, intriguing and most importantly, entertaining little film from first time feature director Sebastien Guy.We follow the main character, Jakob Evans, on his obsessive search for closure after the accidental death of his adulterous wife and the impact this has on others, most notably a young woman, Grace. His relationship with her, not an easy one by any means, is beautifully portrayed by the two leads.Recurring images help convey the broken mind and shattered world of Jakob Evans (Christian Clark) and when his reality crosses over into the world of others, it is engrossing to watch. It has a bit of the feeling of 'Memento' about it, which puts it in good company.The story is an intense and intimate drama, and we are taken on a journey around and inside a different Sydney from that which tourists usually see. The cinematography is superb and I personally hope the soundtrack is made available for purchase. Guy has put together a rather delicious package full of visual and auditory treats that compliment each other.Another of the treats is the casting. Gary Sweet delivers as part of a strong supporting cast to the two main characters and Georgina Haig is superb in what could have been a clichéd role. Definitely worth putting some money on her having a big career in the future.Definitely worth the time if you get the chance.