Prison inmate Taylor (David Jonsson) is on the verge of being granted parole when he is paired with a new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth). When there is a vicious attack, Taylor has to choose between protecting Dee and his chances to reconcile with his son.
I have never seen the inside of a prison, but this feels like an uncomfortably realistic depiction of life inside, with overstretched and disinterested staff and violence ready to explode to the surface at any time. The two leads completely inhabit their roles, Blyth turning from amiable to psychotic and Jonsson seemingly shrinking into himself as his chances of early release start to diminish.
There is one particularly excruciatingly tense scene as Taylor is faced with the prospect of killing two inmates in order to save his son from being harmed. I struggled to stay watching, and that is meant as a compliment to director Cal McMau and writers Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran.
A tough watch but a vital one.
Rating: 8 out of 10