‘Top Floor’ Review
Stars: Justine Wachsberger, Akil Wingate, Lewkowski Yovel, Nicolas Cazalé, Élise Tilloloy, Ivaylo Zahariev, Kalin Tsakov | Written and Directed by Jérémy Minui
Top Floor deserves credit from early on, as it reminds us how the single-location thriller is an evergreen idea among cinematic concepts. On a budgetary level, it offers a money-saving solution that can appeal to producers, but it also works conceptually, as characters must face themselves in a location where they cannot run from the truth. It is unsurprising that Alfred Hitchcock has utilised this idea multiple times, while it has continued into the modern day with the likes of Buried and Gerald’s Game.
Writer/Director Jérémy Minui utilizes that premise for his feature which follows Julia (Justine Wachsberger), an influencer whose social media account has amassed just under 12 million followers. She is introduced walking past adoring fans before she gets into a car with her employer, events that are just the beginning of an unforgettable evening.
She awakens in a lift, unsure of how she got there, and cannot make a phone call. She soon manages to speak with a lift operator (Akil Wingate), although his condescending tone indicates a reluctance to help. It becomes clear that the unseen figure has a grudge against Julia, utilizing a vast knowledge of her personal life to drag her through the mud. Before the night is over, the influencer is forced to confront the unethical actions she made in the name of her career.
There are similarities between Minui’s feature and Phone Booth. Both films contain a difficult-to-like lead facing the consequences of their actions, while trapped in a confined setting courtesy of an unseen figure menacing them. The 2002 work remains an entertaining feature because of Joel Schumacher, who brought a pulpy and exciting tone that was aided by the dual leads. But, where that film persevered, this one struggles.
The stage is given to Wachsberger, offering a one-woman show as she depicts the terror while acting against a voice. While she offers solid work as the morally compromised influencer, it is not a performance which carries the film. Unfortunately, she can only do so much with a work that appears unsure of how to offer thrills within the premise. What does not help are the inclusions of a subplot where police try to find Julia, as these scenes feel like padding within the slim 75-minute runtime.
Regarding the film’s other presence, Wingate’s decent vocal work can only go so far. It is difficult to find menace within the repeated shouting of shallow critiques, with the views on influencers leaving the character to come off as “old man yells at cloud.” As the story reaches its climax, it is bizarre to see how overly complicated the story becomes before reaching an ending which feels unearned. What remains is a flawed film with few things to elevate it, leaving Top Floor to feel like a missed opportunity.
* 1/5
Top Flooris set for a release later this year by High Fliers
