Following the passing of her mother who she was caretaker for, a young woman accepts a job from her father who seemingly had abandoned their family decades prior. Soon, she discovers that the man is more than an apt liar and a potential crook and must decide if she wants to take risks for him that could cost her life.
Written by Neil Burger and Olen Steinhauer with the former also directing, Inheritance is tight thriller that deals with conspiracies and espionage as well as family dynamics. The writing here works quite well and brings the story across many countries while making sense it (except there would likely be more questions if someone entered and left countries this quickly without any logical reason, but you know…). The direction also makes good use of the location and of the talented cast, setting them, and especially lead Phoebe Dynevor, for success. Here the film takes a tense situation, escalates it just right, takes a few expected turns, a few unexpected ones, and makes the most out of everything it has story wise.
The cast here is led by Phoebe Dynevor as Maya who is absolutely solid. She plays her flawed character with the exact correct emotional notes to create someone who is complex and human while going through a story that no one would believe if they were told it. She makes the most of the film, of the stress of the situation, and of her emotional scenes. She’s a solid performer and the perfect selection for this role. Playing her estranged father Sam, Rhys Ifans is an odd mix of warm and creepy, caring and careless. He makes the character work and becomes someone the viewer doesn’t trust from the get-go. The supporting cast, including Kersti Brian who stands out as fantastic, is good and makes the film work overall.
The cinematography here is touted to have been all done on an iPhone which is something commendable, but folks need to remember that the lenses attached to the phone make a lot of difference and these can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. That being said, the film looks good. The work by cinematographer Jackson Hunt looks great here with good framing, good use of natural and ambient light (with likely a few other sources of light) as well as movement. The images here are dynamic and show the stress of the lead as well as the action well. The editing by Nick Carew of course helps with this. The action here is easy to see and easy to follow even when things get frantic.
Inheritance is a dynamic thriller with plenty action sequences, some unexpected twists and turns, and solid acting. The gimmick of having it shot on iPhone and marketed as such really doesn’t have much impact on the film, its story, or how good it is. The film does look good. Overall, the frantic effect of the filming style paired with the story (and the acting) make this one a thrilling film to watch, especially on the big screen when immersion works even better.