One of our favorite feature films from Cannes 2018 now has a trailer, and I’m calling it your best use of one minute’s time today. Ambassador under attack! Young professional breaking protocol! Spies! Caretakers has everything it needs to be your political thriller fix during, say, the offseason of HBO’s Homeland.
The always effective Vivica A. Fox appears opposite fresh-faced actor George Loomis, who is every bit the believable med student, assigned to look after a dreary United States ambassador. One of the sole survivors of an embassy attack in Syria, Chris Williams (Breaking Bad‘s Christopher Cousins) doesn’t seem to have a chance of returning to work anytime soon, or even surviving at all.
Enter – ambitious and idealistic young person! I love seeing honest characters break rules for the greater good, and there’s a lot of that here. Our student/hero Jones goes to great lengths to ensure the former ambassador’s survival, even becoming close to Chris’ family in an effort to raise his spirits. All the while, of course, Jones is hiding these attachments from his bosses. How secretive!
The greatest secret, though, comes into play – in true M. Night Shyamalan-style – at Caretakers‘ climax, a highly suspenseful twist ending that no one, to my knowledge, has seen coming so far. At most, Caretakers will be your favorite new thriller, and at least, it will be highly worth watching to its end.
Missi Pyle, continuing a proud tradition of being in every single movie, appears in the second act until the curtains close, and she’s a joy to watch. Another standout performance is delivered with great mystery by Star Trek alum Natalija Nogulich, as the weary ambassador’s wife. Start unpacking the secrets of this great mystery with the first trailer now!