Review of Tilt (2017) by James L — 14 May 2018

TILT is intense and suspenseful from start to finish. But what transcends its genre is the thought-provoking - and truly terrifying - relatability of the main character. It's one thing to watch someone do terrible things with deliberate intent; that could never be us. It's something else when that person is as confused and creeped out as we are, watching him. Especially since Joe's "predicament" is so relatable too - questions about the value of his work, his impending fatherhood, the pressure to support a family, and, beyond all that, a world where Donald Trump is emerging as a viable force.

The walls close in around him and he reacts without knowing why. He has no skills in looking at himself; he just doesn't understand. Bad things happen. He does them, on impulse - or fails to, with one brilliant scene in particular where a mundane, honest comment stops him. Very good writing and direction and acting, on a difficult subject. TILT doesn't waste a moment, tracking Joe's disintegration in a way that seems inevitable - yet tragic. That's where the horror comes in: This could be us.