Last Straw

I’m kind of surprised by how good this actually was. It’s kind of a home invasion movie that takes place in a diner instead. About half way through it has a pretty nifty plot twist. The runtime is pretty short and moves along swiftly. Our lead character played by Jessica Belkin is kind of unlikable but really well played. I kind of dug her character quite a bit. I liked a lot of the camera work they did. I thought it helped elevate the suspense. I thought they utilized the setting really well. The score was really good and went well with the suspense of the movie. I also thought the ending was very satisfying. I just really liked the flow of this movie. It was suspenseful, fun and felt very old school. This was very good and can be added to pile of hidden gems out there.

Side note: That end credits song was kind of a banger.

* Year of 2024 Themed Week

The twist comes about half way through the movie and I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. I wonder how much more suspense they could have churned out from the movie if they waited on the reveal.

What kind of horrors are these, if life is like this? The unfriendly team of the bistro "Juicy Buns" chops each other into bloody carcasses to the tune of cheerful music, having diverged in their views on the boundaries of jokes, subordination, and even the meaning of life. Technically impeccable, the plot is dotted with a rebellion of Zumers against the Crisis. Yeah

This could be easily categorized as a classic invasion scary horror slasher with people wearing masks but it has some nice different things.
I like the premise and the other point of view from the criminal side, it was not a twist just a nice director's approach. Yes the victim was totally unlikeable rude and a b*. Many stupid decisions as always, the fact that it was 86 minutes helped a lot and the ending was bad. I enjoyed the ride though for such a classic-tale horror.

It's a really weird move from the filmmakers to have the main character so unlikable. She's mean for no reason to literally everyone, and typically she is the character you are rooting for _to die._

After the halfway point the movie unfortunately takes a sharp turn into being silly and sad instead of scary.

I guess they _try_ to make the audience like her towards the end, but I'm sorry, you're not suddenly a good person just because something bad happened to you. I couldn't care less what happens to her.

[spoiler]The ending is dumb x infinity. She just murdered someone and can't claim self defense. Momentary insanity, perhaps, but she royally fucked herself. And for what, revenge? I guess...[/spoiler]

Set in a rural roadside diner, Last Straw follows Nancy (Jessica Belkin), a pregnant waitress trying to hold it together through a long night shift. Tensions rise fast as she clashes with the aggressive chef, a gang of rowdy lads, and even her own dad. With the stress of her unexpected pregnancy pressing down, the smallest sparks start to feel like they could ignite something worse.

The film nails its mood. Gritty visuals and a pulsing synth score from Alan Palomo build unease without relying on cheap tricks. Belkin carries it well, giving Nancy a mix of weariness and grit that keeps you rooted even when things go sideways. The diner setting is tight, grimy, and just isolated enough to feel unsafe.

The big swing comes halfway through, when the narrative flips to show how the intruders ended up there. It’s a decent reveal, sketching a slow descent from fragile masculinity into outright violence.

There are strong ideas here about control, pride, and male entitlement which never fully pay off. Compared to sharper, tighter films like Strange Darling, this one feels more like a solid short stretched to feature length.

If you liked: Strange Darling, Hunt Her, Open 24 Hours, The Strangers.

I enjoyed the first 30 min or so. The neat shift halfway through was a cool concept but the writing quality dropped and there were too many loose ends to be fully immersed.
Acting was fine and I liked the presence Nancy carried.

5.1.
For a title I expected little from on shudder it's worth a watch for us genre fans. You may find more out of it than I did score wise, but I simply couldn't overlook some of the asinine choices.

As poor as that tractor joke. ***Last Straw*** had potencial with the isolated location and that beautiful diner but it just fell flat for me. Why would you work late, alone, after a group of masked weirdos specifically told you they would come back later to hurt you? On top of being dumb the main character is really mean and swears at everyone so it's difficult to root for her. The masked villains are creepy at first but as soon as we get the predictable unmasking reveal and the explanation flashback, they turn into a bunch of amateur idiots. I didn't care about it after that and the thriller beats are run-of-the-mill.

A movie that I started with great excitement and had to struggle to finish. It would have been much better if the plot had been left to the main character. Disappointing, you shouldn't have high expectations. The acting is good but the script is mediocre. Anyway, thanks for your efforts.