Elsewhere (2009)

Director:

Nathan Hope

Writer:

Nathan Hope (writer)

Release Date:

15 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A teen girl disappears after trying to meet men online in order to escape her small town. Apparently, only her best friend worries enough to investigate the mystery.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Cell Phone | Drugstore | Cornfield | Bus

Cast

Anna Kendrick	...	Sarah
Paul Wesley	...	Billy
Tania Raymonde	...	Jillian
Chuck Carter	...	Jasper
Olivia Dawn York	...	Darla Tod
Jeffrey Daniel Phillips	...	Officer Berg
Shannon Holt	...	Patty Melville
Kinna McInroe	...	Candy
Jon Gries	...	Mr. Tod
Dan Flannery	...	Mr. Palomino
Suzanne Lang	...	Maureen
Eddie Martinez	...	Jonas
Joshua Swanson	...	Chris
Holi Tavernier	...	Janet Melville
Pasquale Chase Rulli	...	Billy's Customer

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content, violence/disturbing images, and some drug and alcohol use by teens.

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:107 min (European Film Market)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Goshen, Indiana, USA

Company:

Lost Toys

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Sarah (Anna Kendrick) is in the bus, she finds Jillian's phone, and it is on. Jillian had been gone for a couple of weeks at that point, and her phone shouldn't have needed to be recharged. A minute later she finds the phone of Janet, who had been missing for years. And still, her phone works perfectly fine, and it even has enough power to make a call.

Movie Connections:

References "The Incredible Hulk" (1978)

Far more entertaining than one expects

So many direct-to-DVD films, especially horror-thriller ones are terrible that when something like Elsewhere comes along, some semblance of hope is restored. Writer-director Nathan Hope has constructed a mystery that while fairly easy to figure out rather quickly, still holds your interest throughout just to see how we get to where we think the story is going.

A lot of credit has to go to the cast. As the intrepid, intelligent, and likable lead, Anna Kendrick, now most known because of her role in the Twilight films, does a great job of making us believe that she cares deeply about finding her missing friend. She portrays a sense of screen presence usually not seen from actors of her age. Based on her work here, she, instead of Kristen Stewart, should have been given the role of Bella in the aforementioned vampire saga. It'll be interesting to see where Kendrick's career goes because she definitely has potential.

As the missing friend, Tania Raymonde has charisma, managing to make what easily could have been a despicably obnoxious character oddly likable, important because we actually care about discovering her fate. She and Kendrick share a nice rapport as well, almost instantly believable as best friends in spite of their varying personalities.

Strong writing and a dynamic cast make Elsewhere definitely a place worth visiting.