RIVER

After the death of their father, Carla, Drew, and Lucy reunite to scatter his ashes on the river he loved so much. Their relationship is clearly strained, and tension mounts when Carla speeds the boat up and strikes something just beneath the surface, causing a fuel leak. Old wounds are torn open and the blame game ensues, making it painfully clear their father was far from perfect.

Stranded on the river and with no obvious way back, Carla takes matters into her own hands, swimming toward shore with a plan to walk back to the car. But as she nears the bank, she spots a bloodied, masked man watching her from the tree line. She swims back to the boat in a panic... and the man follows. Setting aside their grievances becomes the siblings' only hope of survival, as a lunatic with no intention of letting them leave begins to play a merciless game of cat and mouse.

You have to hand it to Joshua Giuliano for a remarkable opening scene, one that toys with the audience's imagination from the very first frame. Setting the tone within the first five minutes is merely the starting point of a descent into hell for these three characters. By placing them on a boat—isolated and vulnerable—Giuliano forges a new kind of hunting ground for a psychopathic killer, ensuring the audience is given no moment of relief. And this is only the beginning.

Superbly shot and anchored by stellar performances across the board, RIVER is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. For a debut feature, Giuliano delivers one of the most terrifying films of the year—and whatever he does next, he has set a formidably high bar for himself. (ANNICK MAHNERT)