Social Thriller FEEDBACK Will Leave You Craving More

A radio host is taken hostage inside his studio, forced to expose dark secrets live on-air. While it seems at first to be a political hit, we will realize it is much more personal than we thought. Starring Eddie Marsan, Paul Anderson, Ivana Baquero and Richard Brake, Feedback is an intriguing social thriller that teases the social aspects more so than delivering upon them. With a lot going for it, it’s a possible hit for some, though others might be wishing for a bit more.

Dolan Jarvis (Marsan) is the host of a late-night radio show in London. He often ruffles the feathers of his listeners with his passionate takes on politics, including the recent Brexit. This night he is to be joined by his old pal Andrew Wilde (Anderson), a seemingly troubled rock star, to boost ratings.

As the broadcast begins, Jarvis is annoyed that his sound technicians seem to be playing a prank on him – turning the heat up and not picking up on cues. However, he comes to the frightening realization that two masked men have stormed the station and have held he and his crew hostage. He must play by their rules in interviewing Wilde to expose dark secrets about their past.

Feedback has a lot of great aspects to it and provides enough tense moments to keep the viewer reeled in. It’s a mystery that has you guessing and slowly unravels itself, but I think more could have been explored with it. Positioning itself in modern times, the film addresses sociopolitical issues with Marsan’s first big monologue, and I craved for the story to come back to that in some way. For me, it just didn’t feel like it took advantage of its full potential.

Often times, invasion films can feel a bit redundant and this does the work to separate itself from that, which is something worth praising. I found the setting to be one of its most intriguing aspects, as it takes place inside a ritzy broadcasting station. The vibrancy in the earlier sequences, like the yellow sound room seen above, is something I would have loved to see more of. Especially to break away from the cooler tones that are so common in these types of films.

The biggest drawback for me were the twists that weren’t necessarily set up to have the biggest impact. While most made sense in part, I found it difficult to understand character motives from all sides once things begin to be revealed. It just serves more confusion to the overall plot, than offering a meaningful explanation. There’s a lot of exposition left for the viewer to fill in, which can be taxing at times. I felt there were several parts to the film that were not fully delved into, so you’re left trying to piece it together on your own. This could possibly have been intentional, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of it in the end.

I think it’s one of those semi-polarizing films. Not to any extreme because even if you don’t come out of it totally pleased, it doesn’t feel like a waste. I would still recommend it if you want to check out something a bit different and are thumbing through Prime. The acting is fantastic and I think there is a lot to it that leaves you feeling entertained, even if it doesn’t offer the most satisfying ending. For me I simply craved more from the story.