'The Toll' is a horror film that follows a young woman, Cami, and a rideshare driver, Spencer as they encounter a supernatural being during their drive and their car breaks down mid-journey, stranding them in the woods, in the middle of nowhere.
The film opens with Spencer selecting his next customer, swiping past a couple of guys until he settles on Cami. He picks her up from the airport and the two drive off, heading for her fathers home. During the ride, Cami speaks with her mother and afterwards Spencer tries to make small talk, coming off a little uncomfortable and awkward. After some time, Spencer takes a turn that Cami believes to be going the wrong way. After Spencer shows her the GPS however, she is assured that they are heading for the right destination. As the two drive down a quiet and dark road through the woods, the car breaks down and the two discover their phones not to be working. Suspicious of Spencer and eager to reach her destination, Cami sets off down the road to look for help. After a while she returns to the car even though she walked away in the opposite direction. As Cami had found detour signs along the way and Spencer sees a message on the back window of his car, the two are convinced that someone is pranking them, possibly with sinister ulterior motives. After Spencer sets off to find help, heading the other way, he too discovers himself to have walked in a circle.
Soon after a passer by discovers the two and realises they are trapped by the Toll Man. She informs them that he is looking for Spencer and Cami to satisfy the toll, one of blood. As the two realise that they are trapped in the woods and that they are part of some twisted game, they decide to follow the detour signs and head through the woods. They soon encounter a myriad of psychological trials through which the Toll Man attempts to turn the two against each other to ensure bloodshed. However, as we learn of Cami's difficult past in an abusive relationship and she overcomes her self doubt, she and Spencer try to make their way back to the car. Realising that they are trapped not only in space, but in time as well, Spencer turns to Cami to reveal that he was planning to kill her prior to being trapped by the Toll Man. Shooting her with his bow and arrow, Spencer wounds Cami, but before he can kill her, Cami maces him and kills him. The final shot of the film reveals Cami discovered by her father and the police, showing her drive away from the nightmare.
'The Toll' sets out with a quiet, yet dark atmosphere, introducing both Spencer and Cami as ordinary people, just going about their business. As soon as they are on their way however, the story veers towards suggesting that Spencer is odd, making Cami uneasy and creating tension and fear for her safety. The exchanges they have work effectively to make the audience question Spencer's integrity and intentions towards Cami. The back and forth between the two puts the viewer in the mindset that Spencer is just awkward, and soon after the car breaks down and odd things start to happen, the tension and fear shift towards the supernatural and sinister force that is tormenting the duo.
The story develops organically, showing us Cami's unease and strong-headed nature, going for what she wants, trying to make her way through the forrest once the car breaks down, yet succumbing to the supernatural forces and showing fear. At the same time we get to see how Spencer is seemingly in the same boat with Cami, - confused about what is going on and fearing for his life. The prior tension between the two is re-examined, as the Toll Man plays to their weaknesses, trying to turn one on the other. The duo manage to evade the mind games and remain on the side of rationality even after Cami seemingly sees her father suffering, blaming Spencer for it, the two are placed in locations from their past and after Cami has a devastating yet cathartic experience regarding her past and the abuse she suffered in a romantic relationship.
After the terrifying yet somewhat empowering experience that Cami goes through, she reunites with Spencer, with the film suggesting that the two are ready to work as a team to reach a fair conclusion and escape the Toll Man. After making their way back to the car, the film turns on its head and delivers one of the better twists of any horror film made in the past decade. Cami's initial gut feeling was right - Spencer is a threat and she was right to be weary of him. At that time, Spencer reveals that he was suspicious of the trap that they are in, fearing that he is doomed due to suffer there because of his past crimes. However, he now figures that he only needs to kill Cami to satisfy the toll and escape the trap. Following the revelation and Spencer attacking Cami, the film concludes by Cami macing Spencer, reclaiming her self-assurance and beating Spencer as she purges her pent up fear and anger towards male predators.
The film is a visual treat, creating a claustrophobic feeling even though our players are out in the open, in the woods. The forrest and the dark surrounding the two serves as the most effective villain, as they are exposed and unaware of who or what is surrounding them. Additionally, the tail lights and the high-beams of the car create a more intense experience for the viewer, as the lighting is limited and manages to create a more sinister feeling towards what is out there, what can and cannot be seen. The film also benefits from creative and almost psychedelic set pieces, inducing a fever-dream like sensation both for the characters and the viewer, throwing us for a loop, confusing illusion and reality, effectively establishing that we need to question what we see, and not to rely on any preconceptions.
'The Toll' is a striking and vivid film, delivering many good scares and not relying too much on jump-scares. There are a few moments where the budget of the film can be felt, yet it is more than made up for in the creative ways through which the tormenting scenes are delivered. The film also suffers from an expository moment, where the passer by lays out what is happening to the two by spelling out the terms of their predicament. The scene feels forced and unnecessary, but does function as a tie-in to the conclusion of the film.
Jordan Hayes portrays Cami and Max Topplin plays Spencer. Together, the two actors manage to create both feelings of unease and tension, with later establishing trust and loyalty until ultimately creating a predator/prey relationship. Both Hayes and Topplin are great individually, showcasing their characters as they discover that they are trapped, yet they manage to shine together, progressing through the various stages of their relationship and hitting all the right notes when it comes to swaying the audience in sympathising for each of them individually and the situation they find themselves in.
The film is written and directed by Michael Nader in his feature directorial debut. The creator has written and delivered a unique and poignant story about malice, suffering and anger. Through creating a faceless force of hostility, 'The Toll' can be considered an impressive and telling meditation about abuse, threatening characters and trust. By trapping Cami and Spencer in an unescapable situation, the film goes to lengths to draw parallels of being trapped in an emotionally and physically devastating relationship, having to second guess yourself and feeling like you cannot trust anyone. The film serves well as commentary about regaining self-confidence and does so in a brutal, horrifying and entertaining manner.
Score: 3/4
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