A dark comedy thriller, ‘Crumb Catcher’ follows newlywed couple Shane (Rigo Garay) and Leah (Ella Rae Peck) as they honeymoon in a remote vacation house. A surprise visit by John (John Speredakos) a waiter from their wedding reception turns sour as John and his wife Rose (Lorraine Farris) pursue a desperate ploy to secure funding for John’s business venture.
Opening on the couple taking wedding photos during their wedding reception, the film weaves a complicated interpersonal tapestry amongst its players without overloading the audience with heavy exposition. Relaying that Shane is a writer and Leah works with him as his publishing agent, the two experience further strain as Leah’s mother expresses her dismay towards Shane’s father, who was not invited.
Drowning his stress in alcohol, Shane awakens the following day with Leah ready to set off for their honeymoon. Delayed by John, Leah forewarns Shane to get rid of him as he proves to be difficult to shake. Arriving at the remote house, the two try to make up, but both personal and business strains put the two at odds.
John shows up under the guise of delivering the two their wedding cake topper. Soon, it is revealed that his wife Rose is with him, who had previously engaged in fellatio with Shane while he was black out drunk. Blackmailing Shane, he allows the two in, to listen to a business proposition John has been developing in and around a ‘crumb catcher’ he had invented.
The film presents a complex and strained relationship between the newly married people, with the stress of the event exacerbating an already agonizing experience. The relentless pestering that they receive from John cranks the tension up to 11, with Rose’s blackmail video cementing the feature as a dark thriller. With suspense and tension mounting, ‘Crumb Catcher’ creates an uncomfortable and seemingly inescapable evening where every attempt Shane and Leah make at trying to get away from the desperate venturers is foiled by their persistence and desperation to get anything out of the two.
Creating a gruesome portrait of hopelessness embodied, John Speredakos’s John anchors the film. Conveying a true sense of a lifetime of defeat, John brings forth a forlorn schmuck, who’s faced nothing but rejection and failure. Grasping at straws, the man uses every possible way to glom in to the newlyweds and pressure them for cash. Desperate for anything, John and Rose turn aggressive and violent as Leah and Shane’s patience wears thin, increasing their threat level and amplifying the severity of the situation.
The opposite side of the conversation is chaired by Leah’s Ella Rae Peck, inhibiting a calm and level headed comportment, especially after finding out about her husband’s misdeeds and the blackmailer’s exact demands. Cleaning up Shane’s mess, Leah approaches the extortion without giving an inch, giving John nothing and suffering his wrath.
An exemplary debut feature, writer director Chris Skotchdopole has created an evening to remember with the aforementioned cast. Providing for an uncomfortable night that manages to become increasingly unbearable at every turn, the creator has put to the screen a deplorable insurgent through John and a frightful vision of what true desperation looks like. Creating a pastiche of increasingly unbearable interactions, ‘Crumb Catcher’ delivers an uncomfortable and unforgettable experience.
Score: 3/4
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