DUBAI: For roughly its first third, “The Last House” is an enthralling watch — a tense survival thriller that will resonate with pretty much everyone who remembers COVID lockdowns.
It centers on a working-class, economically struggling family living in suburban Seattle: dad Jason (Wagner Moura); mom Ann (Greta Lee); and their two kids Graham and Ruth.
A torrential storm hits — a storm with a mysterious after-effect: Everyone is now sealed inside their homes and all communications are down. There’s air circulating, but the doors, windows and any other potential exits can no longer be opened — some kind of magical water-barrier sealant, apparently.
The family’s adjustment to ‘the new normal’ is deftly handled by director Louis Leterrier. At first, the novelty is kind of fun and sees their bonds strengthen. Then boredom and frustration set in as the weeks and (eventually, as spoiled in the trailer) years pass. The stress is relatable and palpable — especially when the power grid fails and when the family have to start working out ways to find food when they can’t leave the house — and the actors do a solid if unspectacular job with writer Matthew Robinson’s often clunky dialogue as tension builds and mental health deteriorates.
