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Cast: Thomas Torrey, Katherine Drew, J.R. Adduci and Pat Dortch
Ride-share cab driver Eric begins his day like any other, responding to the many fares of the city that hail him from their smartphones. Hiding his depression due to a marriage that has long grown cold, Eric entertains small talk and discusses his "real job" of real estate. He even finds his own notions of love and marriage challenged by one fare in particular.
As Eric's day turns to night and he takes one last fare, he finds himself face to face with the source of his troubles. When Eric recognizes this passenger as the man who is secretly sleeping with his wife, events are set in motion that threaten the lives of everyone who sets foot inside the car.
"Fare" tells the story of Eric, a real estate agent who moonlights as a ride-share cabbie to makes ends meet because the real estate business is at an all time low. But his job isn't his biggest problem, Eric and his wife are on the outs and he suspects her of cheating on him. As the film opens, we see Eric sitting in his car looking out the window at their home. He sits there in deep thought for a few minutes before deciding to start his car and begin his day of picking up fares all over the city through an app on his smartphone.
During the film we get to see Eric pick up a number of fares, some of the conversions are awkward but all are interesting. And then he picks up a man who will change the course of his night and perhaps his life forever.
"Fare" is a slow burn with the entire film taking place inside the cab, it is dialogue and character driven so if you are looking for something with lots of action look elsewhere but if you like an intelligent film that gets you involved right from the start then this is your film. The film is a drama, at least at first as Eric rides around with his passengers engaging in small talk until he picks up an unexpected fare that eventually turns the story on its head and the drama turns into a thriller/mystery and has you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end.
Writer/Director, Thomas Torrey is no stranger to film making or acting for that matter but "Fare" is his feature film debut as writer and director and he takes a simple story line and creates a gripping film that holds the audience's attention from start to finish which is no easy task considering the story pretty much takes place inside his cab/car the entire time. What makes the film so good is the clever and intriguing story line and the numerous characters that pass through his cab. The dialogue is smart and realistic and the twist that occurs late in the film is both clever and genius.
Thomas Torrey also stars in the film as Eric and he is just as incredible an actor as he is a director. He does an amazing job playing Eric bringing all the needed emotions to the character. The rest of the cast all did a fantastic job as well including, Katherine Drew as his wife Audrey, J.R. Adduci as Patrick and Pat Dortch as a foreigner who gets a ride from Eric and gives Eric his opinion on love and marriage. Dortch's performance really gets the film going and is a highlight for sure.
"Fare" is a roller coaster ride of emotions, it starts of as a drama about one man's failing marriage and turns into a thriller that is both creepy and terrifying. I avoided talking about the story here on purpose because this is a film that needs to be seen not told about. I highly recommend avoiding any spoiler reviews until you have the chance to see the film for yourself. An engaging, smart and clever drama that gets in your head right from the start and it stays there long after the film is over. "Fare" will screen for the first time at the 17th Newport Beach Film Festival, at 8:30 pm on April 26th at Island Cinemas. You can get tickets HERE. This is Independent Cinema at it's finest, I highly recommend checking out this gem as soon as you can.
Released by Bad Theology Pictures
***** Out Of *****
Fare (2016 Festival Trailer) from Bad Theology on Vimeo.