A committed cast barely elevates what is a forgettable film covering the same ground as every other class-warfare horror. Director Howitt tries to channel Jordan Peele and Polanski, but cannot match the register of either. He understands the intention of what he’s mimicking, but relies on exhausted tropes and predictable beats. The film is a mixtape of better concepts from superior films and tries to pass its cribbed pedigree as homage as opposed to laziness. Nathalie Emmanuel has been playing this character study of a Black woman meeting unhinged white affluence to the point of rote repetition, except this time she’s pregnant. She still gives it everything, as does the supporting cast. Claire Forlani delivers a fun and menacing performance that is better than the film deserves, but there’s little else worthwhile in this rehash.
The drone exterior shots of the English estate are gorgeous, but once inside there’s a contrasting claustrophobia. Very few rooms, each lavishly dressed, suggest the minuscule budget went entirely into the sets, which makes the film feel built for a stage. It might play better in a theater, where the lulls in action and long stretches of character reflection could be boons rather than detriments. On screen, what would work live becomes dead space. Then again, there’s a high chance it wouldn’t work in any medium.
The film’s major flaw is that it bores. Absolute tedium… Nothing happens for much of its runtime. Each beat is stretched, there are no scares, and the ending is telegraphed from the opening credits.
Confinement (2026)