Best known for working in casting on film and television, including Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria from 2018 and Sam Levinson’s HBO series Euphoria, Alan Scott Neal turned his hand to directing for his debut feature Last Straw. Set for release on September 20, 2024 in select theaters, digitally and on VOD through Shout! Studios, Last Straw unravels in a pretty wild fashion.
The story follows young waitress Nancy Osborn (Jessica Belkin: Hunt Club 2022, American Horror Story series) who works, rather begrudgingly, at her father Edward’s (Jeremy Sisto: Thirteen 2003, The Other Side of the Door 2016) roadside diner which is located in the middle of nowhere. As this particular day unfolds, Nancy learns that she is pregnant before her car breaks down on her way to her shift at the diner. Already having the worst day ever, Nancy finds herself trying to deal with annoying customers and fellow staff members who refuse to listen to her.
On top of that, an unruly group of teenagers have decided that the diner is the perfect place to hang out and cause trouble. Nancy finally snaps when line cook Jake (Taylor Kowalski: Snowfall series, MaXXXine 2024) pushes her too far. She fires him, calls the police to deal with the teenagers and then tries to get on with her shift. But if Nancy hoped that her evening would be better than the day she just had then she is sorely mistaken, as she is now alone working the last shift and someone she upset today is not happy.
Home invasion is a popular sub-genre in Horror and Last Straw is an interesting addition to this area… albeit it is set in a diner rather than a home. However, the film has more up its sleeve than just a straightforward home invasion and as it unfolds there are surprises to be had. The non-linear structure also adds to subverting the audience’s expectations.
With Scott Neal’s experience in casting, it is no shock that Last Straw is well cast, and the performances are one of the film’s highlights. Nancy may not be the most likeable character, but Belkin is always totally believable as a disillusioned and angry twenty year old. It is also great to see Jeremy Sisto return to Horror as well. Elsewhere, visually Last Straw definitely looks the part with a muted colour palette that is complemented with neon tones that give the film an almost neo-noir vibe at points.
Although Last Straw works hard to differentiate itself from films of similar ilk, there are certain elements that just do not work as well. There is a twist, but the impact is lessened by the placement of where this twist falls – which may be due to the non-linear structure. There are also certain themes that are being explored but the exploration is done in a strange subtextual way which opens up these themes for complete misinterpretation. The main theme that stands out in this case is that of pregnancy and abortion and the way that the film handles these subjects may make some audiences feel slightly uncomfortable.
Overall, Last Straw is a good debut from Scott Neal, which shows promise, but it just does not quite hit the mark. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this movie 3 out of 5 stars.
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