FrightFest 2019: FEEDBACK Review – Eddie Marsan Delivers A Career-Defining Performance
David Gelmini
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Starring Eddie Marsan, Paul Anderson, Ivana Baquero, Richard Brake
Written by Pedro C. Alonso, Alberto Marini
Directed by Pedro C. Alonso
Director Pedro C. Alonso and his writing partner Alberto Marini were brave to release Feedback in today’s political climate, because it’s a film which takes a bold stance on major issues. While this may alienate some viewers, others are likely to commend it for refusing to be silent in a time when political disagreements can literally cost a person everything.
Eddie Marsan stars as Jarvis Dolan, a popular radio presenter who finds his world turned upside down when masked criminals hijack his radio station and force him to publicly reveal his involvement in a terrible event which took place a number of years ago. Although he’s appeared in huge films such as V for Vendetta, Hancock, Sherlock Holmes, and War Horse, Marsan has never really achieved true stardom. Which is unfortunate, because if his performance in Feedback was anything to go by, he deserves all the recognition he can get. We often wonder if celebrities really do have a public persona and a private persona, and Marsan embodies this perfectly, playing a friendly and amicable radio presenter who slowly transforms into a monster as his public mask begins to peel away and his true colours begin to show.
The vast majority of Feedback takes place in the London radio station, so you’ll never guess that it was actually filmed in Spain. And aside from a few scenes towards the end, the hostage-takers are mainly shown wearing masks and heard with their voices distorted, so this is very much a piece focusing on Dolan as a character, but with some strong supporting turns from Richard Brake and Paul Anderson.
As mentioned above, Feedback is unquestionably and unashamedly a film with a left-wing agenda, with jabs at Trump and Brexit sprinkled in throughout. There was even a monologue in which a character bemoans how people on the right are generally opposed to immigration, before going on to describe how the UK’s treasured National Health Service employs a large number of immigrants, who prevent it from being severely understaffed. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a leftist myself, but I know that some viewers may not like having political messages shoved down their throats. Because most of us watch films to escape from politics and other real-world issues, Feedback may be a frustrating watch for some, but Marsan’s performance more than makes up for the blatant political agenda.
And while it was more of a hostage thriller than a true horror film, Feedback still contained some spectacularly gruesome kills to earn it a place in your horror collection. So if you’re not afraid of having overt political messages in your entertainment, you’ll find Feedback to be an effectively ominous and suspenseful thriller.
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Feedback
Summary
Although the overt political messages may be distracting to some, Eddie Marsan’s strong performance in Feedback made it worth watching in itself.
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