#5 Run 2020 – Movie Review

Diane’s close relationship with her chronically ill daughter, Chloe, begins to suffer once Chloe discovers her medication has been tampered with, further uncovering secrets about her mother.

Movie description:

Run is a hulu original thriller movie written and directed by Aneesh Chagantry and released on November 20, 2020. The movie stars Kierra Allen and Sarah Paulson.

Synopsis:

Homeschooled and wheelchair bound Chloe eagerly awaits her college acceptance letter. While her mother, Diane, insists she is supportive of her daughter’s decision to go away to college, she also has been interfering so Chloe doesn’t see the mail before her.

Later, Chloe finds unfamiliar medication prescribed to her mother while poking through the groceries. She is surprised when these green pills are given to her to be taken, and when questioning her mother about it, she explains they are Trigoxin to treat her heart condition.

Diane sabotages Chloe’s attempts to research more about this medicine, but ultimately she uncovers that her mother lied and what she had been taking was medicine for dogs, which when ingested by humans, can cause leg paralysis. Chloe is left questioning if she can trust her mother and if her ailments are real or something that was imposed on her by her mother. All the while, Diane sabotages her attempts of uncovering the truth and gaining autonomy, even locking Chloe in her room, cutting phonelines and disabling the wheelchair lift for the stairs.

Diane insists her actions are to protect Chloe, but slowly Chloe uncovers the true nature of her mother and dark secrets about their relationship.

Praises and critiques:

Like any good thriller, this movie kept my attention and left me in suspense.

One of the best aspects of the movie was the casting of a disabled actress, Kierra Allen, to play a disabled character. Her performance was authentic as a real life person who uses a wheelchair, and made me appreciate moments where Allen was forced to crawl without her chair as it wasn’t acting and her actually putting herself through the physical struggle her character was going through.

Characters in the movie were limited to Diane and Chloe, well relaying the isolated existence Chloe lives in and raising the stakes for Chloe when she determines her mother can’t be trusted and she could only rely on herself.

Ultimately, this isn’t the first use of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in a horror film, so I can’t give this film credit for originality.

Recommendations:

Perfect for fans of psychological thriller and exploration of familial ties.

Rating:

4.5 stars. Not an original concept, but executed in an original way. Casting Kierra Allen was ultimately the best decision made on this movie.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Reviewed By Robin Rose Graves