Sam Was Here (2016)

California, Mojave Desert, 1998. A strange glow appears in the sky. Sam, a forty-something door-to-door salesman, travels through the few inhabited zones of the Californian desert in search... See full summary »

Director:

Christophe Deroo

Writers:

Christophe Deroo, Clement Tuffreau

Stars:

Rusty Joiner, Sigrid La Chapelle, Rhoda Pell

Cast

Cast overview:
Rusty Joiner	...	Sam
Sigrid La Chapelle	...	Eddy
Rhoda Pell	...	Rebecca Saxton
Hassan Galedary	...	Thomas Payne

Storyline

California, Mojave Desert, 1998. A strange glow appears in the sky. Sam, a forty-something door-to-door salesman, travels through the few inhabited zones of the Californian desert in search of clients, yet everything seems deserted. What's more, his wife won't answer his calls. It's as if everyone were avoiding him. When his car breaks down, Sam becomes a prisoner of the empty, hostile environment. Alone and without human contact for days on end, he listens continuously to a talk-show on the only local radio station. The host, a man named Eddy, takes calls from listeners who share their thoughts on a child killer at large in the area. At the same time, Sam starts getting psychologically harassed by strange threats he receives on his pager. Gradually, people begin to reappear and attempt to kill him. Sam has become a target and he must now defend himself. Little by little he loses it, caught up in a paranoid identity crisis. Is he truly the killer they're after, or is he being driven ...

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Plot Keywords:

aerial shot | alone | answering machine | car | car breakdown | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The director himself told that the ending was not so important to be understood, but only the atmosphere, like a painting.

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Goofs

After Sam drives with his car over the spikes on the road, it's clearly seen that the rear tires are intact.

User Reviews

This movie had everything going for it....and then it just fell flat on its face

This movie was such a perplexing audio/visual experience. You have a great premise, some great talent attached to it, a really creepy sense of atmosphere, and an AMAZING synth soundtrack. You got some horror, some thriller elements, some gore and violence, and some really disturbing visuals. I mean, this film had it all. And just when you think the downfall of quality was going to come to a head, it dribbles to a light drizzle and then it's over. Seriously, one of the most ambiguous and open-ended films I have ever seen, I still don't truly understand what it is I watched. Who was Sam? Why are they after him? What did he do that made people hate him so much? You would think that at 90 minutes, you would have an answer. All we get is an infinite amount of questions that I am not sure I even want to ask.

The acting was great, the atmosphere was excellent, and the soundtrack was euphoric. But it was like making a cake that just tastes off in the end. You think you have the recipe on lock, you use the freshest ingredients, and your timing is impeccable. But the end result leaves a bad taste in your mouth. That describes this movie to a T. Watch it for the acting and the cinematography, and enjoy the wonderful soundtrack. But this movie just didn't make any sense. How unfortunate.

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2017 (France)

Also Known As:

A Deusa da Vingança

Filming Locations:

El Mirage, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

KuroKitsu, Vixens, Firm Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1