Restless
Jed Hart’s Restless opens dramatically in the dead of night, introducing a dishevelled and visibly shaken woman as she drives deep into the woods. With classical music blaring through the car’s speakers, she steps out and, with frantic determination, begins digging a grave. This opening, taken from later in the film’s timeline, sets the tone for a psychological thriller that blends bleak realism with black comedy. What starts as a familiar drama of suburban tribulations soon descends into something far more unhinged.
Lyndsey Marshal plays Nicky with an uneasy intensity, a nurse who has recently lost both of her parents. Her world is quiet, regimented and defined by absence – her son has left for university, her late parents’ former home next door stands empty. Or at least, it does until Deano (Aston McAuley) arrives, bringing with him relentless noise, chaos and an infuriating sense of entitlement. The stark, cool-toned cinematography and Marshal’s performance vividly capture the claustrophobic, never-ending horror of a neighbour whose presence invades every waking moment, while the authorities stand unwilling to intervene.
Deano is a near-cartoonish villain – a sneering, tracksuit-clad embodiment of unchecked selfishness – with Hart leaving little room for ambiguity in his characterisation. The narrative draws a pointed distinction between victim and perpetrator, subtly questioning Nicky’s reliability as a narrator due to her sleep deprivation from the constant clamour next door.
For Nicky, the battle is about more than just sleepless nights. Her late parents’ home, now under council reassignment, is no longer hers, but Deano’s occupation of it marks the final, indifferent erasure of their presence. The film quietly highlights how the bureaucratic indifference of housing policies can strip people of any real connection to places. What she’s truly mourning is not just her loss of rest, but the final severing of a space once tied to family and stability.
Hart’s direction is confident, balancing dark humour with escalating tension as Nicky unravels. The gripping atmosphere endures even during the feature’s more outlandish moments, particularly one involving a grotesque dessert that Nicky prepares for Deano, marking Restless as a promising feature debut for Hart, as well as a unique exploration of vulnerability and loss.
Christina Yang
Restless is released nationwide on 4th April 2025.
Watch the trailer for Restless here:
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