S.E.R.E. And Focus: A Movie Review

S.E.R.E. stands for survive, evade, resist and escape - a US Department of Defense military acronym. S.E.R.E. is the title for a recently completed film from Blag Tag Films. Now, the film is available on DVD today, May 11th and S.E.R.E. is for those who like thrillers with psychological elements as most of the film involves mental torture of four downed United States Air Force pilots. The California Angeles National Forest substitutes for the Saudi desert and the use of a confined set amplifies the tension while keeping the focus on the excellent acting.

Geiger (Meeghan Holaway), Phan (Justin Huen), Apple (Kevin Nichols, and Jones (Nick Thurston) are four USAF personnel who are held captive in an unknown location by the Saudi King. Here the prisoners work together to thwart their captor, Mother (Gary Perez), while questioning the reasons for their imprisonment. Yet, the true motivations of both the captives and captors are not revealed until late in the film.

When a film has a limited budget, like S.E.R.E., the use of one set or two sets with a small cast can stretch funds while heightening the importance of performances. This can sometimes be a gamble if the cast does not meld together, but each of the actor's play of the others in S.E.R.E., excellently. As well, each of the actor's use their experience in television or film to show confidence in their performances.

The plot of the film seems simple to figure out, this is a training exercise right? However, as happens with many horror and thriller films like S.E.R.E. the writing often adds in a twist to surprise audiences. The surprise in this film comes through a character reveal as one or two characters shows unexpected loyalty to dubious political goals. No one will see this one coming.

S.E.R.E. is highly recommended as a feature that recognizes its own weaknesses and builds them into strengths. This means quality acting and tension through set design, with each element finding a foundation in strong, deliberate writing. Have a watch of this film if the DVD is available in your area.

Writing/plot/story: 7 (nice ending).
Characters/individual characterization: 7.5.
Setting/realism/importance to story: 7.5.

Overall: 7.3 out of 10.

More details on the film at the S.E.R.E. website here:

The S.E.R.E. Official Homepage