Film Review: Caged

Caged is a thriller that follows Harlow Reid (Edi Gathegi) a fairly well off African American psychologist who has been wrongly convicted of killing his wife, Amber (Angela Sarafyan), and is now serving life in prison. We start off with him being placed into solitary confinement. As his attempts to file an appeal begin to wane, he spends his time in his small, dark cell, slowly succumbing to the affects of isolation in his mind, which is made worse by the harsh treatment by an especially abusive guard, Officer Sacks (Melora Hardin).

Billed as a social thriller, a subgenre that has been booming in the past several years, the film explores not only the way Black people have the odds stacked against them when it comes to the American criminal justice system, it also deals in the inhuman practices that are done in prisons all over the country from harsh treatments by the employees of the prison to the mentally taxing experience of being forced in solitary confinement where prisoners are given little food and even less human contact.

The film is directed by Aaron Fjellman, who co-wrote the script with James Doc Mason. This is Fjellman’s directorial debut, and as far as a debut goes, it’s solid. It doesn’t take long before we see the effects of Harlow’s isolation. His reflection in the mirror starts talking to him, faces begin appearing in the walls, he sees things that aren’t there, and he is haunted by his memories of his wife. The film also incorporates flashbacks where we get more of what may have happened between him and his wife, and in those flashbacks, we begin to question how reliable Harlow is as our narrator.

The filmmaking mirrors his breakdown in many ways, from the distorted visuals, occasional jump scares, to the barrage of strange imagery. It kind of reminds me of some of the stylistic flourishes one would have seen in genre films of the early to mid 2000s. Unfortunately, the film ends up relying on these flourishes more and more as the film goes on, and its theming take more of a backseat until the filmmakers realize they need to give a payoff to its interests and ideas in the final minutes of the film. Unlike other socially conscious thrillers and horror films, this doesn’t quite weave its ideas with its thrilling indulgences, it feels separated.

The film works best when it plays out like a full on acting exercise for its lead, Edi Gathegi. He’s been in a number of films and TV shows, his biggest probably being X-Men: First Class where he played Darwin, you know the character known for his ability to adapt but ended up dying anyway. Here, Gathegi really showcases a lot of range from his initially assured but soft-spoken presence to full blown hysterics full of rage, confusion, and sadness. The other supporting players don’t appear long enough to make an impression with the exception of Melora Hardin, who is appropriately and effectively repulsive and unpleasant.

Caged features plenty of compelling sequences and interesting ideas. I don’t think all of its elements cohere into a satisfying whole, but it did remain engaging thanks to its stylization and a strong performance from Edi Gathegi. Aaron Fjellman’s direction showcases a strong ability in evoking an oppressive and often surreal atmosphere, and it is quite impactful in the moment as you watch it unfold, even if its lack of thematic cohesion doesn’t allow it to linger with you. That said, he has a lot of potential, and I would be curious to see how he grows as a filmmaker, especially as one who shines a light on issues that are worth talking about.

Caged is now out on VOD platforms.