The Ruse, 2025.
Written and Directed by Stevan Mena.
Starring Veronica Cartwright, Michael Steger, Drew Moerlein, Kayleigh Anne Ruller, T.C. Carter, Janet Lopez, Madelyn Dundon, Bill Sorice, Heather Drew, Ralph Ayala, Robertson Michaud, Michael Bakkensen, and Nicola Jeanette Silber.
SYNOPSIS:
An in-home caregiver fears for her life after being assigned to a mysterious elderly patient in a remote seaside home.
With the title The Ruse, at least writer/director Stevan Mena has done the courtesy of letting viewers know there is little to trust here and that there is a high probability that the story will be absurd and implausible, more concerned with twists than logic. That is indeed the case here. Before even getting into what this movie is about, let it be known that it takes a nearly 30-minute stretch (most of it one character putting together several pieces to this crime puzzle) for all secrets to be revealed. Again, it’s ridiculous and more amusing than rewarding or suspenseful, but drags on all the same.
The same can be said for the first hour, which isn’t exactly subtle or intriguing, dropping various characters and dynamics into play. It centers on a disgraced in-home caretaker named Dale (Madelyn Dundon, a sensitive soul and believably plays the part of someone who likes helping others) who has received a second chance, brought back into the fold to look after the elderly Olivia (horror veteran and longtime great Veronica Cartwright), a former opera conductor now affected with dementia and respiratory problems while grieving the recent loss of her husband. She also claims he visits her at night, threatening her to join him. Also noteworthy on her file is that she is OCD, which also factors heavily into the plot. Meanwhile, Dale has a selfish partner who would rather have her give up her passion since it typically means she is away from him.
Since the nursing agency is overstaffed, no one will be coming to relieve Dale for some time. This gives her more than enough time to get to know the oddballs in the area of Olivia’s remote home, ranging from a nearby single father (Michael Steger) of a somewhat neglected young daughter struggling making friends, and a groceries delivery man (T.C. Carter) who points out that guy’s shady past. It also bears mentioning that the previous nurse has disappeared. Someone is also peeping around at night and taking inappropriate pictures of Dale and, presumably, the other nurses.
Naturally, Dale is primarily focused on keeping Olivia alive, which becomes more challenging by the day as her memory often resets, sometimes causing her to become skeptical of the nurses. She claims the last one upped and left, while also admitting she senses Dale is one of the good ones. Soon, it’s more than power outages shutting down breathing equipment and endangering Olivia. To Veronica Cartwright’s credit, her performance is convincing and succeeds at the misdirection Stevan Mena attempts; it’s a coin toss whether she is crazy, ill, there is a ghost, she is part of the ruse, or what her actual feelings toward Dale are.
However, The Ruse is, as one can tell, plot-heavy. There is next to nothing to talk about regarding characterization since the film is stuck in one of two modes: spinning its wheels by gradually revealing information about these people, and letting twists fly. Somehow, the pacing is languid in both of them. When everything is laid out on the table, the film doesn’t necessarily make sense, either. It’s never a good sign when one character is making accusations while another exclaims, “Why would I do that?”, only for the latter to be right, as one laughs at the gaps in logic.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
