Run (2020)

Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Stars: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen, Onalee Ames
Runtime: 90 minutes

Synopsis: A homeschooled teenager begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her.

Verdict: Two years ago, director Aneesh Chaganty's directorial debut "Searching" made headlines for its innovative approach to filmmaking. Entirely presented through the protagonist's computer screen, the thriller's uniqueness was reason enough to justify its acclaim and propel Chaganty's name to the top of many people's "directors to keep an eye on" lists, mine included. His follow-up project came two years later and stars Kiera Allen as Chloe, a teenager whose premature birth left her with many diseases including paralysis and whose relationship with her mother, played by Sarah Paulson, is tested when she discovers that she has been giving her mysterious pills.

While "Searching" stood out thanks to its unprecedented storytelling methods, "Run" unfortunately sank due to its predictability and lack of risk-taking. Getting invested in the narrative was rendered difficult because we've seen it unfold a million times before, resulting in a diluted element of surprise despite Paulson and Allen's strong performances. I wouldn't go as far as calling the flick boring because for better or worse, it did have its moments, but rather unexceptional and uninspired. In other words, it's a whirlwind of predictable chains of events comparable to many thrillers that came and went before it, topped with more than a few illogical scenarios and unsubtle horror references (did the phone operator really have to use Derry, Maine as an example to illustrate how to formulate the location of the call? Did the pharmacist really need to be called Mrs. Bates?)

All in all, I can see a lot of people enjoying "Run" because it uses a formula that has proved itself in the past. But personally, the more time passed, the more disconnected I became from it, and I'm certain that I won't be remembering much of it in a few weeks' time.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10