Tethered
released 2022
www.ink2quill.com

“Tethered” is a mystery, horror, psychological thriller with a large host of producers who include Brent Ackermann, Jeb Brooks, Will Brooks, Jeff Cox, Ryan Conboy, Devon DiGonno, Andrew Egbert, Daniel Robinette, Michael Scott, Aaron Sorgius, Kayla Stur, Jeremy Tassone, Cooper Thorton. It was directed by Daniel Robinette and written by Jeff Cox, Daniel Robinette, Michael Scott, Aaron Sorgius, Kayla Stur, Jeremy Tassone and Cooper Thorton. It stars Kareem Ferguson, Alexandra Paul, Jared Laufree, Brody Bett and Chris Demm. And that´s it for the cast.

Tethered IMDb webpage

“Tethered” is a story that place in a remote area of North Carolina and is the story of a boy named Solomon, played by Jared Laufree, who is blind and extremely protected. His world is a house and the radius around it dictated by a cord he ties to his waist. He has no human outside of his parents and has very little understanding, if any, of the outside world. His parents pass away and he is left with a tape that dictates three rules he must live his life by. The first is that he must trap to find food in the woods for two. The second rule is if Solomon ever feels like giving up sing your song. The third rule is to never, ever let go of the rope. The boy basically lives in a kind of prison from his handicap and because of some danger that lurks in the woods. We learn that Solomon´s father disappeared when he was young and later his mother a walked into the woods one day and never came back. It is assumed that she something ate her or killed her.

One thing I thought was well done was how they managed to create such a good film with such a small cast in basically one area. This is a hard thing to pull off without giving the film a super low budget feel. I think that one story element that helped to make the small cast work was the introduction of the character from the outside who was in essence the chaos element. That person was Hank, played by Kareem Ferguson. Hank is the character that forces Solomon out of his comfort zone where he eventually discovers the truth and is actually better off in the end.

This story has so many questions. Why did Solomon´s parents isolate themselves so rigidly, even seeing the incredible harm it must have done to their son? And, what is the threat in the woods and why don´t they seek help or try to fight the menace? Those questions keep us, the viewer, glued to our seats. This story is an irresistible mystery.

Let me also add that the story is much better constructed than one might think at first. If you think about it, and I don´t want to give away any spoilers, there is a very clear explanation why the couple chose to raise their son in such a remote area. The ending gives so many of those explanations. Everything makes sense when the boy flees the house at the end of the story. To give a clue or drop a small hint, this story reminds me of the film “Vivarium” and the themes are very similar.

This is a well done film that easily become a mini series or a great book. This is a fresh look at a common theme with a good ending. I recommend this soon to be cult classic.

John Ink2Quill

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