We live in alarmist times. We live in times where we’re constantly in fear of terrorism, terrorist activities and are influenced to be xenophobic to a certain extent. We are a people de-sensitized with violence, a people who always fear death at our door, and ultimately have an unspoken paralyzing fear of the apocalypse entering into our windows, and it’s reflected in our culture and pop culture. Be it through zombies, a plague or what have you, we’re in times where our fear of Armageddon is difficult to ignore, and that’s due to increasingly violent circumstances involving the realistic likelihood of some sort of bomb or toxin entering into our neighborhood and destroying everything we love.
A healthy mixture of “On the Beach,” and “Fail Safe,” Chris Gorak’s “Right at your Door” is possibly one of the most horrifying apocalyptic films I’ve seen in years, and it’s a basic accounting of that nightmare and inherent fear embedded in us. It’s not a film that exploits our fear, nor is it meant to be a semi-documentary, yet it’s instead just an account, a scenario meant to trigger our thought process and inspire conversation. What if a bomb exploded in our back yard, and released a toxic gas that was heading our way? How would we react? What would we do in a situation of that magnitude? Gorak identifies this scenario filming what is a horrific terrorist situation that manages to destroy and close up Los Angeles in only a matter of hours. A dirty bomb strikes downtown Los Angeles, spreading a massive toxic gas that’s spreading gradually across the city and along neighborhoods.
Told to stay in doors and seal all entrances and exits, a young man named Brad tries to track down his wife Lexi who was caught in the dirty bomb explosion, and fails. Now finding no hope in his rescue attempts, he seals himself in his home and attempts to wait out the situation. But when Lexi appears at his door, assuring him she’s not infected or sick, he has to make an ultimate decision. Will he let her in? Can he let her in? Can he trust she’s not sick? What would our viewer do in such a situation? Gorak wastes no time on attempting to explore the sheer importance of the relationship at hand, and almost immediately sets a tidal wave of dread and sheer carnage on the audience, much like the opening to 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead,” except handled with much more competence and tension. Gorak uses the apocalypse as a mere microcosm for a more life defining decision.
Brad has to decide if he wants to let his wife in, thus we’re forced to reflect and wonder what decision we would make if this scenario ever came to pass. In a film world that uses fluff over texture, “Right at Your Door” is one of the utterly thought provoking horror films that will leave you to think hours after the credits have rolled, and for that it’s much more defined as a horror film than anything else of its ilk. Gorak simply creates an understated masterpiece that uses our modern hysteria as a means of a more perilous situation involving government misinformation, and the ultimate choice of staying by a loved one, or saving your own life.
And then though it’s only alluded, the audience will know that many others in Brad’s place are suffering through this same conflict. Rory Cochrane of “Dazed and Confused” fandom gives one of the strongest and complex performances of the year, as a man who is forced with this conflict, and can never be sure to trust the information he hears on the radio, or his own eyes. Desperation sets in, cabin fever and heat exhaustion slowly take hold, and Cochrane competently unveils layers of Brad’s character, with the help of Gorak’s constantly compelling writing.
Mary McCormack is also rather strong as Lexi, Brad’s wife who isn’t sure who or what to trust. While she’s sure she’s sick, with varying reports on television and radios, she can’t never really be sure if she’s contagious or deadly. Gorak’s direction is reminiscent of Greengrass and with a semi-documentary style also making us feel like we’re involved in the scenario. “Right at Your Door” is such a fantastic film, and you’ll be glad you spent your money on something original for once. There’s really nothing else to say except that “Right at Your Door” exceeded all of my expectations. Excellent acting, excellent direction, a horrifying story, and a hell of a surprise ending make this a reflective thought provoking film worth discovering.