Directed by Hubert Davis and written by Michael Capellupo and Kathleen Hepburn, in a world where environmental collapse has left survivors to fight for the precious resources needed to survive, a young woman’s loyalties are tested by the arrival of a wounded man. Starring: Sheila McCarthy, Natasha Mumba, Joanne Boland, Arnold Pinnock, Shailyn Pierre-Dixon, Noah Lamanna, Steven McCarthy, Idrissa Sanogo and Cameron Nicoll.
Having Sheila McCarthy as a cult leader in a dystopian style world is a perfect choice. She’s disarmingly kind but can get the claws out quickly, and being an over 60s woman will likely make people think you’re not a threat, and they’d be wrong. So, this had the potential for something very interesting, but it falls short. The problem being that all of the characters in The Well are generic and don’t have any layers to speak of, missing a prime opportunity to let McCarthy loose.
That’s really the key problem with The Well, it sets its foundation, then explores no further. The entire plot is the simplest question of: who can you trust? Something that we’ve seen countless times before. So, to make a captivating story you needed to then add something new and unexpected, and at least semi-complicated or emotionally driven, but this script sadly had none of that. It’s entirely flat, moves slowly and really struggles to hold your attention.
It’s a shame as Shailyn Pierre-Dixon provides that good classic, trusting, wholesome yet strong young woman to lead the charge. The qualities she creates in Sarah make her sympathetic and easy to follow, and nicely taps into your protective instincts. Natasha Mumba was another great addition, she feels wise and logical, surviving in a harsh landscape by taking things back the days when people genuinely relied on the land, it’s actually a shame her part isn’t bigger. Arnold Pinnock and Joanne Boland were similarly excellent choices as Sarah’s parents, they’re loving but fiercely protective. Then Idrissa Sanogo brings a nice unknown element, not making his character too transparent, leaving you questioning things.
The Well unfortunately finds itself walking over terribly familiar ground and doesn’t manage to add anything new. The plot is unoriginal, the characters are extremely limited, never given a chance to build truly individual personalities and it moves very slowly, which is even more of a problem when quite little actually happens. It’s shot well, the tension is decent, and the cast were definitely prepared to add a lot more layers, but they simply weren’t given the opportunity, meaning that the final result is a letdown.
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