Under Glass turns its micro-budget limitations into strengths, delivering an intriguing mystery with memorable characters and an impressive technical edge.
by Nav Qateel
Co-written and directed by first-time filmmaker Jay McLendon, with Colin Wilson also co-writing, low-budget indie film Under Glass tells the story of a rideshare driver going about his day. Clearly unhappy with his thankless passengers, who give him one-star ratings and nasty reviews on the app, thee driver goes through the motions, driving an assortment of people around. From a coke-sniffing businessman to friends arguing about grammar, each character is more interesting than the last, which provides some comedy and hints that the writers are fans of Tarantino.
Our protagonist has a hole in his memory, and when a mysterious young woman gets in his cab and starts to help him fill in the blanks, His life gets a lot stranger as he attempts to put the pieces together. As the revelations begin to mount up, the mystery deepens, making for some interesting storytelling. The finale makes the deliberately paced psychological aspect of the film worth the wait.
Shot in black and white, other than having a touch of occasional color, a nod to Schindler’s List perhaps, and added to great effect, Under Glass was made for the paltry sum of six thousand dollars. It was made quickly with the shutdown looming by filming in a static car using green screen.
I could barely tell the car was mostly static thanks to the fantastic use of backdrops and realistic reflections. This wouldn’t normally matter, but with a micro-budget such as it was, and pressed for time, the filmmaker really knocked the technical side of things out of the park.
Being that this was made by first-time filmmakers, one could spot their influences here and there, in particular the writing, but the directing and shooting also wore their influences on their sleeves.
This I loved because it’s nice to see filmmakers dipping their toes in with tried-and-tested craftwork. Most film grads do some variation on Kurosawa’s style, with the inevitable pretentiousness sprinkled in; however, Under Glass avoids this.
This is an interesting film populated with interesting characters who each give natural performances, with Mitchell Brinkley III as the stoic driver nailing his part.
The direction from McLendon was admirable, demonstrated by the performances coaxed from unknown actors, and the writing was also solid. The sound had a few minor issues at times, making a couple of scenes difficult to hear, but other than that, I had a blast watching this effort. It is a movie one has to pay close attention to so as not to miss the payoff. An entertaining indie movie that should please most folks.
Nav’s Score: 7.5/10
