Inheritance

Well, it's interesting to me that they shot this spy thriller with an iPhone in four different countries, but the whole espionage element of it is found lacking. The guerrilla-styled framing is solid when Maya (Phoebe Dynevor) is busy fleeing from cops, baddies, and whoever's after her. A bike-taxi scene set in Delhi is particularly well done. But the same can't be said for the film overall, given how much it depends on contrivances and happenstance.

I mean, I wouldn't complain having to watch Dynevor's (flawless-looking) close-ups for 90 minutes straight though there should've been more meat to the plot than its current barebones version. The bland third act bogs it down further, only to be upended by a last-minute, albeit predictable twist. Neil Burger is undoubtedly a capable filmmaker, but his last few flicks have failed to hit the mark. I'm excited to see Phoebe in M Night Shyamalan's next with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Inheritance is the new thriller by the talented Mr. Burger with an international setting which was shot with an iPhone.

The film was fun in parts, with an interesting premise and a tense chasing scene being the highlights.

Unfortunately i found the writing lazy with stereotypical characters, predictable twists and a "gotcha" finale that you can see coming from miles away.

What i didn't "get" also was the "shot with an iPhone" choice. It didn't add anything new in the handheld camera style cinematography. On the contrary, the image quality on the big screen, especially during the dark scenes and scenes with high contrast was problematic and distracting, looking cheap instead of realistic.

I would recommend this film, if you don't have anything more interesting to see.

Using only iPhones for filming definitely gives this project a unique flavour, a distinctive identity, especially from a filmmaking perspective.

All the events come across as raw, the moments feel unfiltered, making scenes resemble more of a vlog you would find on someone's YouTube channel rather than a traditional movie meant for theaters and home entertainment.

However, it falls short in all other facets.

There's lack of real tension, screenplay is pretty bland, and it misses that sense of stakes and intensity. Plus, I just didn't feel invested in the characters or the journeys they had to take.

The movie is pretty good for an indy film. The story is meh, you pretty much got it figured out. The action sequence is also meh. But what really made this film incredible is the filming style. I don't believe I've ever seen a film this way.

The camera is like a person going along with the character. It is not a found footage, which I hate, or like a 1st person view. It is just different and it worked. I find the camera work smooth and immersive. It literally feels like you are there with the character. It is even better because the film takes place in multiple locations in the world.

In sense it feels like you are taking a vacation to Egypt, India, and South Korea, literally the camera is on the street level and you get to see everything around you like you are actually there.

Overall I enjoyed it. 5/10.

Inheritance feels like it was made on a modest budget, but that actually works in its favor. The handheld, action-cam style gives it a gritty, immersive feel without being distracting. The story is fine; nothing groundbreaking, but it holds your attention, and the ending ties it all together nicely. The cast delivers solid performances, and the locations are visually interesting. But the real standout is the soundtrack. Seriously impressive work by Paul Leonard-Morgan. It's layered, tense, and adds so much atmosphere. Overall, it's a decent watch with just enough mood and momentum to make it worthwhile.