As the world seems to crumble around us everywhere we look, each of us has probably had the “we should be prepared for something” conversation with their families. The idea of doomsday prepping is more of a spectrum, with the extreme being the entirety of your life dedicated to creating bunkers and shooting cans in the wilderness, and the more mundane disaster kits and CPR certification. “Sharp Corner” explores the mundane to the extreme, taking the everyman out of the normality of suburban life and changing him into a man obsessed. Born out of curiosity and good intentions, “Sharp Corner” skews both as they transform into unhealthy obsession that challenge our ideas of the every day savior, imbuing his character with an uneasy sense of overconfidence in their efforts to be important, and what that can cost in the end.
Writtten and directed by Jason Buxton and co-written by Russell Wangersky, “Sharp Corner” follows Josh (Ben Foster) and Rachel (Colbie Smoulders) and their young son as they move into a new home. Leaving the big city for the quiet suburbs, their idylic new life is upended when a car crash happens on their front lawn on their first night, killing the driver and sending Josh down a dark path. He discovers that because of the way the road is designed, these kinds of accidents are extremely common. He soon begins to prepare for the next accident; learning CPR, researching the accident extensively, sawing down brush to make the sign more clear, and unable to talk about anything else EXCEPT the gruesome aftermath even at dinner. Josh’s obsession begins to interfere with the rest of his life, and what began as simply being prepared for the worst becomes something darker beneath his savior complex.
Buxton slowly maps out his character descent to unfold in the uneasiness of Foster’s quirk. “Sharp Corner” relies heavily on Foster’s own absurd presence, and it is at first off-putting to see him shed his normal villainous demeanor under a chiseled jaw for a more quiet, unnerving everyman with a dad bod. Admittedly, it is challenging to see him go against type while also relying it, and Foster almost gets there. Where his performance is ultimately held back is in the script, which fails to really answer the why behind the what of Josh’s motivations and transformation. Foster is certainly trying, but from the minute we meet him in “Sharp Corner,” we can’t help but feel somewhat unsettled by him. This makes his transformation from the guy in the office to obsessed accident savior harder to actualize, and since its the catalyst for all events in the film ends up keeping everything at a distance.
This distance feels sometimes purposeful, as “Sharp Corner” seeks to shroud some things in ambiguity surrounding the accidents and Josh’s responses to them. Through Rachel (Smoulders) we see an exasperation of her husband and his behavior, insinuating that something has been wrong with Josh for a while now. The accidents just seem to be the thing that brings it the surface. Smoulders isn’t given nearly as much to do as Foster, as “Sharp Corner” centers on him and his despondent attitude towards anything that isn’t a car crash on his front lawn. Which is a smart layer to add but not explored enough, leaving that lingering question of why that sets Josh on this journey in the first place. One could argue that is precisely what Buxton is aiming for, a state of uneasy without reason and inviting us to be voyeurs to gruesome and unlikely events through the eyes of a man becoming obsessed with the wrong aspects.
However, “Sharp Corner” culminates in a climax that nearly vilifies Josh’s behavior, which is particularly disturbing given the lengths he goes to be the man he envisions himself to be. This would be fine if we were given more insight into that very obsession, more than just his studious CPR attendance and practice, maybe even more direct experiences with the accidents we see take place. All the beats of a dangerous man acting on selfish impulses with a misplaced sense of heroism are there, but “Sharp Corner” falters by not really driven these things home as hard it could and allowing them to somewhat rewarded by the end. Foster fans will surely relish in his performance, which truly elevates the material even when it feels alienating at times.
“Sharp Corner” may not land the plane as smoothly as it intends, taking that sharp turn a little too hard and crashing in some of its more nuanced and complicated elements. But it also never stops being entertaining, and keeps you engaged in the dangerous obsession that can come from delusions of confidence and a burning desire to be something else, even if that means making sacrifices not just for yourself, but for even for the people you so desperately want to believe you’re protecting.
“Sharp Corner” is strange events with even stranger responses, subverting our own ideas of being a hero and the blurred lines between prepared heroism and unhealthy obsession.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
“Sharp Corner” had its world premiere on Sept 6th at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is being shopped around by NEON International for US and international distribution. It is tentatively set for a release sometime in 2024.
