The movie centers around two characters, Sally (Shaina Schrooten), a religious protestor, and Angie (Caito Aase), an exotic dancer, who are forced to survive the apocalypse together. While we do not get to explore many locations, we do get to explore the psyche of our central duo.
Revealer reminds me a lot of the Jean-Paul Sartre existential play No Exit. It primarily focuses on Sally and Angie trying to talk (argue) through their differences and beliefs. As a zealous Christian, Sally believes it is her duty to call out the “sinful” lifestyles of people like Angie and force them to repent. Angie is a strong character that understands the hypocrisy of people like Sally and holds little stock in their opinions. The film, directed by Luke Boyce, has a poppy, neon-enriched design that illuminates the long discussions Sally and Angie have. The two trying to actually survive together seems to be a secondary interest, while the apocalypse happening outside feels like an awkward third wheel, desperately blaring to regain their attention throughout the movie.
The characters’ discourse in the screenplay are, unfortunately, arguments I have repeatedly witnessed online and in the media. While Revealer does not offer anything new to the conflict of Christian-right-winged-zealots vs. The World, it does succeed in presenting an accurate depiction of the conflict while suggesting a wholesome message of “acceptance will cure all hate.”
The standouts from Revealer were the production design, visual storytelling, and the performance from Caito Aase. The production design is delightfully colorful yet dim, and I felt the claustrophobia of the small spaces the characters were operating in. Boyce was not afraid to cut back and forth between rooms as conversations carried on, and I loved how he framed the spaces to get smaller as the conversation progressed. Boyce accomplished so much in the visual storytelling. You can pick up on how close Sally and Angie are getting to better understand themselves and each other through the physical space. Caito Aase offered some terrific line deliveries, a fun performance, and a badass burlesque routine. This should be no surprise considering she is a burlesque dancer and circus performer when she is not acting! I love it when people get to showcase their real-life talents in movies. It was a treat watching her be an 80s-punk girl. I seriously hope to see her in more stuff.
Would I recommend this? Yes…if you are more interested in visual storytelling and dialogue than action. I would give it a stronger recommendation if it was more kinetic. I mainly wish we got more carnage. For an apocalyptic movie, this was rather tame. As aforementioned, the movie is more concerned with the heated conversation between Sally and Angie. I would have enjoyed it ten-fold if there was more blood n’ gore. Give me violence, please!
You can catch Revealer exclusively on Shudder on June 23rd, 2022.
