I was very impressed with this film. We follow a down and out Cult novelist who specializes in understanding the methodology of how cults control individuals. The novelist is divorced, homeless, broke, suicidal and in debt with some very nasty former business partner when we meet him. When two parents approach him desperate for help, he agrees to help them with an extreme intervention with their cult involved daughter. The goal is to deprogram her. Arranging a kidnapping, he abducts the girl and isolates her in a motel room for days attempting to mentally break her down and understand her cult programing. It was engaging and completely unpredictable. I'm not totally satisfied how the story concluded but found the entire ride fun and intriguing.
Add a Review
-
parsonm220 March 2015
-
kosmasp30 December 2014If you go for a treatment, you might look for something conventional, something that has proved to work, because it's based on a formula. This ain't it! Let me make this clear from the beginning, even if some might claim to see where this is going, you can have a lot of fun watching it develop and going to its destination.
The acting is really great and even if the main character is a bit unlikeable, he still is able to pull quite a few things off. The story is weird and a bit all over the place, but it works for its purpose (downfalls and "duh" moments included). While not perfect, we need more movies who dare to be different. Even if they make us uncomfortable watching them -
markshepparddefense15 July 2015Amazing little indie that came off as a black comedy and then drifts into darkness, while pulling you along.
The acting's smart, the pacing's crisp, the jokes register darkly, and the dialogue snaps.
After researching this movie and not finding an appropriate answer, one scene that really stands out is: Once Ansel is watching his TV interview, one can barely see schemes of "Dad" having sex with Claire, while "Mom" is watching. One has to very closely watch.
This brings us to the question if they were Claire's parents at all, or rather, fellow cultists. Cult members who, under her guidance, pretended to be her parents so she could brainwash Ansel. At the end "Mom" tells Claire that "With his knowledge your teachings will grow beyond anything we ever could have imagined." This seems to suggest that having a notable expert on their side will give them more power, legitimacy, outreach. It's winning over an enemy.
Amazing ending, want to know more. -
sammelb10 March 2015I thought this was a brilliant movie, from the bizarre introduction of a grown man trying to reuse a coupon to get a free meal and then being forcefully removed from the hotel restaurant to only discover he is the main speaker holding a seminar on mind control cults.
It was a great introduction to the, main character and his struggle to recover from his previous success as a leading authority cult specialist to living hand to mouth trying to make ends meet.
A reminder to pay his debt and a job opportunity to redeem himself, he is targeted from the beginning and must wake up before it's too late.
Awesome -
"Fault is a fracture. It's a place where pressure builds until it releases."
Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star together in this unique dramatic thriller written and directed by Winstead's husband, Riley Stearns. Faults is his feature debut and after this, there is no doubt he's going to be getting more offers because it is a very inventive drama that feels like no other movie because it changes and morphs as the story progresses. It is hard to classify this film because it doesn't feel like any other movie I've seen. Orser plays Ansel Roth, an expert on mind control, but it is clear that his glory days are long behind him. When we are introduced to him he's trying to reuse a coupon for his meal at the hotel where he's giving a speech on his new book about free will. There are very few people who have signed up for his seminar and he's evidently in deep financial trouble. An opportunity for redemption shows up when a couple (played by Chris Ellis and Beth Grant) ask Ansel to help them with their daughter. They say she has changed dramatically after finding a mysterious cult and that they are afraid of losing her. Ansel tells them that he can help but that it is going to cost them. He plans on deprogramming her by kidnapping her and having a five day session with her at an undisclosed location. The girl's name is Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and she claims to be at the happiest point in her life so apparently it won't be an easy job for Ansel who is going through his personal lowest. What follows is a fascinating psychological control study with touches of dark humor and several twists along the way. The less you know about the film going into it the better off you are.
The production team behind Faults is the same one that brought us last year's The Guest and the reinvented slasher horror film You're Next so I was already excited about this film. They present unique projects that at times blend familiar genres or include some sort of surprise element along the way. Faults is a low budget indie film but it never ceases to amaze with a production design that sets the film somewhere around the early 80's although there is no mention of when the story actually takes place. The film is perfectly executed, it has an interesting premise, and the screenplay is beautifully written by Riley Stearns as it transforms along the way. It's not one of those films that tries to fool the audience and then presents a twist that no matter how many times you go back and rewatch it it simply doesn't make any sense. Faults isn't trying to fool us, instead it is simply telling a story that unfolds in unexpected ways as we reach the climactic finale.
Perhaps what stands out the most in Faults are the two leading performances. Leland Orser delivers the best role of his career and it is great to finally see him in a starring role. His character isn't someone we should really sympathize with considering he's simply miserable from the moment we are introduced to him. He's such a loser but somehow Orser manages to engage us and we want him to have his shot at redemption. We believe he actually knows his stuff on mind control and free will but life has given him an unexpected blow that he seems to be able to recover from. On the other hand Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Claire is enigmatic and we never know what she is really thinking. Winstead delivers one of the best performances of her career as well and the two turn Faults into a highly engaging and hypnotic film well worth your time.
http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/ -
Original, well acted, and well produced/edited.
This film is well worth seeing if you like original, well produced movies.
From the beginning you are never really sure where the characters are heading - until the end.
The characters draw you into their world and keep you there. Each event and emotion portrayed by brilliant acting. I had never seen any of the cast in previous movies, so it was refreshing seeing new faces (to me) bring the story to life.
Whatever expectations you have for this film just forget them and let the story telling take you where it is going to go. -
imseeg5 May 2020I thanked myself for watching this movie. Why? Because I simply stumbled into this movie by accident, because another great movie with Mary Elizabeth Winstead got me curious about this seemingly normal looking actress, who has such a mysterious, yet natural looking charisma, that I keep getting mesmerized by her acting performances...
This story is something else. It mistakenly looks like a somewhat silly comedy at the start. But soon I noticed the acting was a lot better than any other average comedy and the jokes were quite dark and painful, yet spot on effective AND FUNNY.
Then the acting and the story got even better half way through, with lots of quirky, mindboggling plot turns.
And then the final part of this movie really convinced me I had just seen one of the best quirky, yet simultaneously uplifting comedies of the last year.
Probably best suited for an arthouse audience, who likes quirky, dark comedies, with brilliant plot turns and subtle acting performances.
Endnote: look at the poster. What do you see? -
I'll always remember Leland Orser for his nervous role as a surviving victim of Se7en's John Doe. I've probably seen him in bit parts since without realizing it's him, but Faults reveals his talent as he steps up to the task of a leading role. He's perfect as the cheap crook and Riley Stearns matches the darkly comic nature of his character with an ideal introduction. Stearns idiosyncratic style borrows from the best of modern cinema - the Coen brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson and Wes Anderson - but it pays off for a surreal, slightly stilted, but hilarious tone. Its premise of cult manipulation is immediately compelling, and it frames its story in a way that's offered skimmed over when it's portrayed on film and never committed to a full 90 minutes. Faults is a very confident debut, but it's a shame that the film wilts in its second half. It trades humour for a psychological thriller, and while it digs deeper into the characters, it loses its way by breaking its world. If only it didn't stumble in this final stretch, the twists in the ending could have had more impact. Still worth the watch.
7/10 -
AceFreeideas13 January 2021Because near the end of the film, my brains exploded out the top of my head! But seriously, I actually gave up on this movie after about 20 minutes. I thought that it was trying to be a comedy except it wasn't funny. Fortunately I was curious enough to fast forward to near the end, and I saw some interesting scenes that I couldn't understand, then went back to the 20 minute mark and watched the whole thing. I later realized that the beginning wasn't exactly trying to be funny; it was trying to be pathetic, and it succeeded. That was days ago, and I am still thinking about this movie. OK the brutally honest truth is that I feel a bit terrified because the main guy sadly reminds me of myself, and I don't know that I would have handled things any differently than he did. :(
-
alisonc-124 July 2014Ansel (Leland Orser) is a failed expert on cults, once widely regarded for his books and television show and his ability to "deprogram" those brainwashed by cult leaders, but now - after a spectacular failure - he is barely making it through the day by selling another, shoddier book and giving "seminars" at dumpy hotels in return for a room and a meal. When an older couple approaches him to ask for his help in restoring their cult-taken daughter Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he reluctantly agrees, only because his former manager is hounding him for a rather large sum of money that Ansel owes. With some help, he kidnaps Claire and begins the process of deprogramming her in an anonymous hotel room, but it soon becomes unclear as to who is treating whom....
This is kind of a strange movie, neither fish nor fowl as they used to say; in some parts, it's quite funny and absurdist, and in other parts, it's deadly serious. Unfortunately, the two aspects of the film never quite jelled for me. The acting is fine throughout (though it's odd that the IMDb doesn't name the actor playing Claire's father!) and the sort of quietly desperate, slightly sleazy world which the characters inhabit is shown well, but I was left scratching my head at the end of it, going "huh?" A bit disappointing, really. -
heaintgonnadie12 August 2015the movie started out real great. seemed to be an exiting film about saving a girl from a cult, the complex mind game it takes to deprogram someone. but that was not how it turned out. (SPOILER PART) Instead it turns out to be some sort of cult plot, to get him in to the cult? i really couldn't say, it seems kind of vague, when it comes to the motives of the group. so instead of being this poor confused girl, she turns out to be a psychological master mind, easily making his victim throw away any form of sensible reasoning.
the story seemed to be all over the place, and as you near the end, you realize that they tie it together in the worst possible form they could. the week ending ruins the film. -
brightmare4013 March 2015Riley Stearns... who have already directed a few short films, Debuts in direction of real length movies with this movie. The story revolve around a cult group called Faults and two characters... Ansel Roth who is a former very famous expert on cults and psychology... and Claire whose parents approach Ansel in desperation to get their daughter back from the cult... Ansel... who too is desperate for some money accepts the offer... but the story takes a seriously amazing turn when we see that this is way more than just a treatment. direction is pretty awesome for a Debutant... acting is really very good... Stearns proves to be a promising director by making a great classic about cults....
-
gavin694228 July 2015Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire's parents recruit one of the world's foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth (Leland Orser).
Writer-director Riley Stearns cited Paul Thomas Anderson's works, namely "Punch-Drunk Love", the Coen Brothers' "Fargo", Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" and "Alps" among the many works he was inspired by. To prepare themselves for the role, Winstead and Orser read the book "Let Our Children Go" by Ted Patrick and watched YouTube videos from that era of people in cults or people who had just gotten out of cults. They had both also created their own backstories for their characters based on Stearns' script.
Jon Gries has a smaller role, but it is always nice to see his smiling face. I wanted this film to be a bit better than it was. The first half was very good. In fact, the opening scene was the best part. You can never go wrong with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, but there could have been a little something more here. -
EllaMentree28 November 2019The film has a message and it will pull the rug out from under you in order to achieve it.
From a story and plot standpoint, this is absolutely awful. There are contrivances and contradictions at every possible turn and it just gets worse on subsequent viewings.
What matters in this film is its message, clearly. The only problem I see with that is I'm not sure what the message is. It's something about free will, certainly, but I really can't ascertain anything beyond that single vague notion.
If you feel like a story that doesn't make sense isn't a problem for you, then you will certainly enjoy the film more than I did. Personally, it feels like a nothing of a film.
The joke is that there is no joke, and I just don't find that terribly funny. -
leewebb605118 March 2015I started off really loving this movie and was really hooked by the opening scenes setting up the main character, who is played to perfection by Leland Orser. A washed-up "expert" on cults and brainwashing, his character is sad, funny, and interesting all at the same time. You also really empathize with him and feel his sense of desperation and frustration at the start of the movie.
As the story unfolds, a mother and father approach him offering desperately needed money if he would be willing to kidnap their daughter from a cult and reprogram her back to "normal."
So far so good and everything leading up to his character retrieving the girl and beginning his treatment seems promising. Unfortunately, the movie slid downhill from there (at least for me). I was expecting a more interesting series of twists and turns and looked forward to seeing the enticing cat and mouse mind game that the movie seemed to be setting up. Instead, the movie just kind of got inexplicably stranger and ended up taking a path that I felt was a bit too predictable and unsatisfying.
It's worth checking out for Orser's performance and character alone. I just wish they had done a bit more with it and carried the quirky and unique tone that was established early through the entire film. -
zerocrossing25 January 2019An odd and interesting little story. Great performances by all but especially Winstead and Orser. Most importantly, it puts an original spin on the whole "cult" theme which appears to be a popular craze in Hollywood right now.
-
russellensley27 July 2022Great plot and unique. So tired of Marvel and DC and Star Wars retreads. Great acting. Strange vibes. Thought it was a comedy at first. Recommended. It's a nice break from all the tripe.
-
Seeing the interesting premise as well as being a big fan of Riley Stearns' second feature (The Art of Self-Defense) made me want to check this one out. Comparing the two they have a lot in common, themes like loneliness, being in control of your own life and the need to belong, as well as a good amount of dark humor are all in there. Even though it does slow down a bit midway through, the characters are interesting and the dialogues witty enough to carry the viewer through to a great ending.
P. S. I was really glad to see Leland Orser as a lead after so many supporting/smaller roles and boy did he nail this Ansel character, he absolutely stole the show (Winstead was also great as usual). -
I_Ailurophile15 August 2021This is certainly not quite the movie I thought it was going to be. The premise plainly welcomes a purely dramatic approach to the narrative, but film-maker Riley Stearns also adopts a very dry, dark comedic tone that's mostly more direly awkward than funny. 'Faults' is a movie for a very niche audience.
It's such an oddity. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a great actress who has more than proven herself in a dynamic variety of roles, and her wry mannerisms are a treasure. She readily holds our attention with every passing scene. Chris Ellis and Beth Grant are both solid performers with a long list of credits between them. Yet it's Leland Orser, characteristically a supporting player in any given feature, who has the lead role in 'Faults.' Capable and steady though he is in any part, here he deftly maneuvers the demands of the protagonist - and more than that, he's a swell scene partner with Winstead. The crumbling confidence Orser bears as Ansel works in wonderful tandem with Winstead's resolute calm to keep us engaged, even through early scenes that are rough around the edges. The phenomenal turn that comes in the last segment of the film, giving 'Faults' brilliant new life, allows Winstead to take center stage, and we see the force of personality she carries so well. The much more nuanced portrayals she and Orser give us near the conclusion are alone worth the ride.
I just wish the rest of the movie were as consistently superb as the last 20 or so minutes. The acrid sense of humor about the screenplay doesn't mesh well with the dramatic overtones - in fact, it feels more like a clash for no small part of the runtime. The twist turns everything on its head, but 'Faults' relies too much on that exhilarating development to shoulder the heft of the picture. There's a long sense of something missing, of the constituent parts just not entirely clicking in the way that's intended. That's unfortunate, because considered as a whole, this really is a pretty fantastic movie.
It's a fine view for a general audience, though fans of the cast - and of Winstead especially - will find this most rewarding. A marvelous ending mostly makes up for the frailties that peek through earlier in the movie, and while uneven, this is very much worth watching. 'Faults' isn't what I anticipated - and ultimately, I'm thankful for that. -
bierbreth29 August 2022For those who are writing bad reviews: you just didn't get it; it's okay. You can't say that it's a bad movie, or list a bunch of shortcomings, you can only admit that it didn't appeal to you. Perhaps you just aren't enough of a critical thinker, and there simply weren't enough explosions or nudity or magic or robots or something.
This film is very well done, and for what it is, it provides a great example. Just move on, and resist the urge to dissuade people from watching it. Go back to your Marvel money train schlock, and leave this and other clever films to those of us who enjoy good stories without shiny objects and cheesy visual FX. -
The movie may have been made in 2014, but the TVs in the motel have channel changers that go "clunk, clunk, clunk". I miss those. In this digital era, those would not be possible. Also, somehow, the TV plays a VHS tape. I didn't see the VCR, but we see a tape of a TV episode where Ansel takes advantage of a victim of a cult, making money and getting famous by showing the world her emotions.
This is a very complicated movie. The summary that came with my TiVo listings called it "drama, thriller, suspense". They forgot comedy. At least for the movie's first half, it is quite obvious that we are supposed to laugh, even though the humor is quite dark and disturbing. Ansel's goons are funny. Well, one of them, anyway. Leland Orser is definitely funny, but comes across as quite intelligent when he finally shows he knows what he is doing. Mostly Ansel is a moron, but Orser, on the other hand, really knows what he is doing even then.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has done a great job in several roles where I have seen her, does a fantastic job here. No, she's not really funny in most scenes (though she is when she gets flirty), but she doesn't have to be. I would call her scared and submissive in the early scenes, but there is a strength and confidence that come through, based on her faith in this quirky religion. Later on she is the one who is clearly strong and confident, in the sense we usually see these qualities, and she seems to be examining and treating Ansel, as if she is the psychiatrist and he is the patient. In a more popular movie, such a performance might get an Oscar nomination. I question the short shorts Claire's father provided, given how conservative he is, but she does look good in them.
The parents are pretty much what one would expect. Once he feels he is being taken advantage of, the father becomes very demanding and threatening. The mother is more pleasant.
It's not family friendly and it wouldn't be expected to be, but aside from a few bleeped words and one entire scene where the sound goes out, I guess it's not so bad.
I couldn't say what happens at the end if I wanted. Well, I could, but I couldn't explain it.
It is a worthy effort. -
planktonrules3 August 2015So far, "Fault" has all positive reviews on IMDb. I cannot imagine this will continue now that it's just debuted on Netflix's streaming service here in the States. I found the film disturbing and unpleasant.
When the movie starts, it's a comedy. A complete loser named Ansel (Leland Orser) is doing crappy workshops where he talks about cults and cult deprogramming. He's darkly funny to watch and I enjoyed the film...so far.
The plot then thickens. A set of parents inexplicably recruit this idiot to deprogram their daughter who's been caught up in a cult called "Fault". He and some recruits kidnap her and take her to a motel room....and the comedy completely vanishes. The film becomes confusing here, as you really have no idea where it's going. Ultimately, the film becomes VERY dark and nasty...and I was left feeling like two separate films had been spliced together. And, as a result I also felt cheated. A funny dark comedy just became dark and nasty...and unfun to say the least. -
morrison-dylan-fan23 December 2015Taking a look at IMDbs Film Festival board,I spotted a plan for an IMDb fest based around a series of titles.With not having heard about the film before,I decided to take a look at the page for Faults,which I discovered featured Final Destination 3 scream queen Mary Elizabeth Winstead,which led to me getting ready to discover who is at fault.
The plot:
Getting in debt by self-publishing his advice book on how to pull troubled minds out of "cults", Ansel becomes increasingly uninterested in the people who attend his book tour.Lashing out at an audience member after they blame him for the death of a teenage girl who appeared on his now-cancelled TV show,Ansel tells the crowd to pay him some cash so that he can sign their books and then leave.
Walking on tiptoes up to him, Evelyn and Paul ask Ansel if he can help them to get back their "baby girl" Claire,who has gone and joined a cult.Initially dismissive of their requests,Ansel finds the couples willingness to cover his costs to be a real charm bracelet.Suspecting from the details they give that Claire is at the deep end with the cult,Roth tells Evelyn and Paul that the only option left for them is to kidnap Claire and take her to a remote location,where she can be de-programmed. Receiving the thumbs up from the parents,Ansel goes and kidnaps Claire. Placing Claire in a secure isolated location,Ansel begins the intense de-programing program,but soon begins to fear that Claire may not be the one who is getting de-programmed.
View on the film:
Filmed in just 18 days,writer/director Riley Stearns shows no faults in his excellent debut,which mixes jet-black Comedy with nerve- shredding indie chills. Largely taking place in one hotel room, Stearns & cinematographer Michael Ragen precisely use depth of field to subtly reveal the change in power from Ansel to Claire (and her family.)Allowing Ansel to step out into the sun, Stearns covers him in a scorching hot sun,which pops the heated tension that Ansel is under.
For the dark satirical shots,the screenplay by Stearns takes a ruthless view at the self-help/psychobabble culture,as Ansel's crisp white shirt and user-friendly guides hide the deep bleaches behind a fading grin.Keeping away from just making this a satirical title,Stearns displays an expert eye in delivering psychological unease,thanks to the decision to stick everyone in one location allowing for the seeds of doubt in Ansel to be exposed,whilst Claire's shimmering confidence slowly casts a looming shadow across the screen.
Stuck in a burnt at the edges suit, Leland Orser gives a superb performance as Ansel,thanks to Orser giving every sarcastic put-down a rich bitterness,whilst also allowing a feeling of Ansel crumbling under pressure to seep in.Joined by a great Lance Reddick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives an extraordinary performance as Claire.Avoiding any Scream Queen antics,Winstead hits Claire with an icy matter of fact delivery,thanks to Claire burning away her sweet charms to reveal a smart,calculating menace hidden from view.
Final view on the film:
A film with no "Faults" at all. -
westsideschl7 August 2015Dramas that principally take place in a room or two had better have attention to detail in sets, props, lighting, and cinematography. And, of course, they should have an engaging, creative story with beyond the call exceptional acting. This film does all that. Why not five stars? First, no subtitles and with sometimes poor articulation, sometimes poor audio levels a lot of dialogue is missed so you have to turn the volume way up or rewind (I did both) and that helped only in a few cases. Second, in the bonus section you can listen to actors, etc. comments as the film progresses. It turned out that the comments were practically useless in understanding the story i.e. several key events were not explained or discussed. Third, there's a bit of deadpan humor interspersed which is fine but it also confuses/detracts from taking a serious subject seriously.
Story: A writer of a book (and some times active deprogrammer) about how to override the influence of cults and sects on supposed vulnerable new recruits has some faults one of which is a past failed deprogramming. In debt for a bogus deprogramming book he is trying to peddle to earn enough to live on, he is hounded by the book's creditor. Thus he takes on a job to kidnap and deprogram the supposed daughter of a couple. This is where all the twists show up, many of which are not explained (I guess to leave the viewer to interpret) or just left openly vague. -
latinfineart31 October 2019Was this film way over my head? I find removing paint from old walls to be more pleasurable. It was a long, sad, crappy, hard film to watch.