Freelance, 2025.
Directed by John Balazs.
Starring Nicole Pastor, Jordan Fraser-Trumble, Stephen Degenaro, Jasper Bagg and Hannah Brooke.
SYNOPSIS
When a down-on-her-luck video editor takes on a mysterious, well-paying job cutting snuff films, she is haunted by visions of the people in her videos.
With mainstream indie distributors like A24 and Neon pushing the boundaries with original, engaging horror, it has always seemed odd to me that most low-budget indie studios making content for the streaming market (in my day we’d call it straight to video), seem more pre-occupied with making films based on famous public domain characters, creatures or natural disasters which are, for the most part, terrible.
However, some indie filmmakers working below the 7 figure budget threshold, are at least trying to engage an audience beyond simple cheap thrills, and that brings us to Freelance, John Balazs’ mystery horror with an intriguing concept that aims high. The question is, does it hit the mark?
Nicole Pastor stars as Katie, a struggling freelancer scraping together pennies to afford her daily coffee fix and friend-zoning a couple of slightly simpy gentleman friends out of the odd meal. She gets occasional work cutting porn movies, which in turn puts off prospective employers seeking editors to cut content and sizzle reels for their business. As a freelancer myself, I know of feast or famine very well, and the frustrations are nicely observed here and cut through with some wry humour. A mysterious job comes her way to edit footage delivered to her door but the more she gets into this new job, the more she suspects there’s something horrific involved.
Running at 110 minutes, Balazs, working from a script by Mike Gerbino, takes a calculated gamble to pace the film on his terms rather than deliver the concise 90 (or under) that indie distributors love. The film quickly places us into Katie’s situation and struggles and takes time to gradually dial up the unsettling tension once she takes on her new job. Establishing Katie and her core relationships is handled with skill on all fronts too, with good dialogue and a cast who all fit their roles well. No one seems miscast or a regular shmoe being asked to fill in a walk-on role rather than the rigmarole of casting an actor.
For the most part, Balazs earns that 110 minutes and more importantly, builds dread and tension that takes us to a gripping final act. It’s as simple as investing us initially, keeping us hooked into the intriguing and nicely woven plotline (Gerbino’s script, based on a short film version he also directed). The sound work (Adam Armstrong, Hafeed Jraybee), cinematography (David Chan) and score (Kai Chen Lim) are also excellent and essential in building that feeling of constant unease. The film pulls a few surprises along the way, making you never quite sure where it’s heading.
For everything to work though, in a film that is so intimately focused on Katie, Nicole Pastor had a lot riding on her shoulders. She’s incredible. Dry, charismatic and sardonic with a shield that always keeps people at arm’s length, and fighting against self-doubt, guilt and the occasional hopelessness of her situation. Then in her descent, deeper into her macabre job, cutting apparent snuff films, she excels even more. It’s a great performance that elevates this way beyond other films of this budget level, making it deserving of a wider and more discerning audience.
Fans of films like Censor and Berberian Sound Studio will love this one, which also has a dash of Lynch and a sprinkle of Cronenberg in there too. It’s a great lesson too, in making something genuinely decent at a challenging budget level and not merely churning out something for a quick buck. Seek out this (hopefully not too well…) hidden gem, currently streaming in the US, UK and Australia.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Tom Jolliffe
