Director: Cristian Solimeno
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Andy Nyman, James Cosmo, Neve Campbell
For The Glass Man, it's release has been quite the journey. The second feature directed by Cristian Solimeno, it premiered at FrightFest back in 2011, but legal issues prevented it from getting a release until now. Time has not harmed the final product, as despite almost a decade passing, the topics and themes within are just as relevant today.
Martin (Andy Nyman) lives the perfect life, with the perfect wife (Neve Campbell) in their perfect house, and won't let a little thing like unemployment change that. That's shattered in the dead of night, when Pecco (James Cosmo) calls at their home. A loan shark looking to collect what he's owed, Pecco offers an ultimatum to Martin - lose everything, or becomes his accomplice for the evening.
How far would you go to avoid the saddening truth, which will undoubtedly change the lives of you and your beloved? Martin has lost the job which supported his lavish lifestyle, due to an employee making him a patsy. He tries continuing on the charade for his wife, while lying his way out of the situation, but this only makes things worse. Andy Nyman does an excellent job capturing the quiet implosion of Martin, who's desperately trying to hold it all together. The pressure mounts up as he keeps getting knocked back, but he just wants to be treated like a human being, and can't bring himself to share the truth.
Kept in the dark is his wife, who's left to wrongly read the situation. Neve Campbell does good work in the role, but one wishes she had more to do, as she feels like a plot device to make tensions rise. This all leads to the arrival of Pecco, a loan shark only interested in collecting the debt. James Cosmo does impeccable work with his portrayal, bringing a tenderness to the role which is just as believable as the menace he delivers. There's a frankness to the way he speaks, which helps him bounce off Martin quite well. The contrast between them both makes for a great pairing, delivering much entertaining material when required.
Solimeno uses his screenplay to take the basic plotline, and circumvent the typical ideas which would stem from it. As the night unfolds for Martin, the creeping dread is executed very well, as the terror slowly makes itself known. It doesn't fall into unwelcome tropes or outdated stigmatizing, often paired with the subject matter, but turns the proceedings into a saddening tragedy. What's been crafted is a film about debt, financial issues, and the destructive pressure which they can bring about. Sadly, this is something which hasn't gotten better since this film premiered.
The Glass Man is available on Digital Download from 7th December
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