Fare (2017)

Eric Hollister (Thomas Torrey, writer, director, music, editor) drives an "Uber" style cab. He is having difficulties with his marriage of 10 years and talks to his passengers in a manner that would make them feel border line uncomfortable. By chance he picks up Patrick (J.R. Adduci) who happens to be having an affair with his wife. He gets his wife (Katherine Drew) into the vehicle also and then...we get an ending that seemingly has no closure. The key to understanding the film is the long conversation he has with another passenger (Pat Dortch). While there are hints. The film is done so it is not apparent. Might take a second viewing.The production takes place in the fictional town of Chester (filmed in Charlotte). The action is all inside the car. Even scenes that take place outside the car, are filmed from the inside. It is a drama/psychological thriller with all the action concentrated in the final few minutes. Thomas Torrey wears on you after a while, like he does his passengers. I would say the film was well done for what it was, provided you understood it. However, a well scripted, decently acted film is not always entertaining if we are basically looking at the same faux-leather interior for 75 minutes as we wait for something to happen and then when it does, it is off screen.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Thank you Sloan Stewart for cleavage shot.

I don't normally watch psychological thrillers, but this was a bit Rod Serling-esque and made my heartbeat speed up, kept me wanting to look away and watch at the same time--which was helped by the suspenseful music.Good acting. Torrey is obviously a versatile artist, doing everything from the writing/directing and acting to the editing. This film is a great example of what can be done with a small budget in terms of storytelling and filmmaking as it took place entirely inside the confines of a car. I also appreciated the tip of the hat to C.S. Lewis at the very end of the credits. Well done.

Fare is the directorial debut of Thomas Torrey, who also wrote the script and played the protagonist. It's not a complete disaster, but even at one hour and fifteen minutes, the film feels like a writer's crisis.The first minutes set the stage with Torrey (Eric) driving a couple of customers as a ride-share driver; of course the one customer that is of any significance is the one with whom he shares a philosophical -- and out-of-place, and rather unrealistic, to be honest -- conversation. Bits of the conversation become material for another key scene with Patrick, who is sleeping with Eric's wife and happens to get on his car (yeah, unlikely, but however unlikely, it's possible, I guess). By far this conversation between the victim and the villain(?) is the most intriguing sequence out of the entire film, and it sort of gets interesting when Eric's wife unexpectedly joins the conversation. From there, however, it all goes downhill. There's no need to go into detail what transpires afterwards; it suffices to say that the film's final act feels like a writer just giving up because he can't come up with anything interesting. Still, the film is a technically competent one with decent performances.

SPOILER ALERT,, I'm going to tell it like it is. This movie honestly was a waste of time. The ending was stupid. I thought maybe it was all staged at first, and he (the husband) was going to kill his wife & her fling. Instead he drives them to some dead end road, a body was just laying there so they stop, fling boy gets out to check on man in the road then gets stabbed. Cry baby gets out and chases them with a gun, cheating wife then drives off. Comes back and finds husband,,,, he gets in the car and tries to call 911 but says they're not answering lol. Then a car zooms up on them, rams them off the road. Then crybaby waves his gun saying if you come closer I'll shoot you bla bla but does nothing they break in the window and yank him out of the car,,, then OH MY,,, the wife picks the gun up off the seat and shoots both bad guys. He gets back in the car (bleeding) about to die and she drives saying don't leave me.