Hush

What would you do if you saw someone in trouble? Would you help, or turn the other way? In HUSH, a young couple, Zakes and Beth, are driving up a dark, rain-soaked M1, when they are abruptly cut off by a wildly-driven truck. For a brief moment, the back of the truck rolls open to reveal what looks like a distressed, half-naked woman, tied up and caged. Only half convinced of the reality of what he has seen, Zakes reports the incident to the police and then tries to put the whole thing out of his mind.

Shocked and angry at how unconcerned he is, Beth storms off when they pull in at a service station. When Zakes goes to look for her, she’s nowhere to be found… but a familiar looking truck, driven by a mysterious hooded figure, is pulling out of the car park. Knowing in his gut that the unthinkable has happened and Beth has been kidnapped, Zakes chases after the truck and so begins a brutal game of cat-and-mouse on the motorway.

Hush starts slowly by introducing the two the main characters, Beth and Zakes.  The couple seem to be having some problems with their relationship, Zakes forgets the important moments and Beth has been disheartened by the rut they have got stuck in.  This is quickly forgotten though when Zakes sees what he thinks is a woman tied up in the back of a truck.  From this point the tension mounts as Zakes desperately tries to get back the woman he loves.

Shot on a budget of less than £1m, Hush is an engaging, tense and ultimately satisfying thriller.  It’s only  91 minutes long which keeps the action sharp and the thrills tense.

Mark Tonderai uses a rough, shaky-cam style of filming that makes Hush both gritty and immersive.  This is the first feature from the writer/director and shows that there is still plenty of movie making talent here in Britain.

DVD Extras

-Feature Commentary
-Interview with Mark Tonderai
-Interview with William Ash
-Deleted Scenes with commentary
-Featurettes
-Artist on Artist interview