In a large, secluded home protected by a large iron gate and long driveway, married couple Chris (Stephen Graham) and Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough) live with their eerily well-behaved son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). Their home is well-crafted and clean, with bookshelves, plants, and a large television in the living room, perfect for family time. They also have a basement, where they keep a 19-year-old delinquent named Tommy (Anson Boon) chained up by his neck. The chain hangs from the ceiling, keeping him confined. Chris and Kathryn have chloroformed and kidnapped Tommy, seemingly right off the street after a particularly hard night of partying. He was with his friend Gabby (Savannah Steyn) at first, but presumably got snatched after he ditched her. The opening of the film is a frenzied portrait of a wild child out of control–doing lines, binge drinking, and pissing outside. But once Tommy wakes up in the basement, unsure where he is or how he got there, he’s determined to get free.
Once Tommy is down there, Chris hires a mysterious woman named Rina (Monika Frajczyk) as a housekeeper, using her dark past as leverage to keep her from revealing what she sees to anyone. It feels reckless to hire someone in a situation like this, but Chris can rationalize anything he does, as long as it falls within his selective moral code. Kathryn’s intentions are much more unclear. There are moments early on when it seems like Kathryn is powerless, adhering to her husband’s whims. It takes a while before she reveals herself as a willing participant in her husband’s kidnapping scheme. Their son Jonathan is used to the dysfunction, trying his best to live as normally as possible. Jonathan keeps making references to a boy named Charlie who used to live in the house. It’s unclear whether Charlie was his actual brother or another previous hostage.
“Heel” is a dark comedy-thriller that feels like a mix of “A Clockwork Orange” and 2019’s “Villains,” in which a volatile couple creates a dark version of the nuclear family. Stephen Graham and his family are like a preppy, British Addams Family, with the sinister vibes of Christian Fundamentalists. Their extreme politeness and perfect manners hide a rigid moral code they hope to impress upon Tommy. Downstairs in the basement, Tommy is forced to watch cellphone footage of his own shenanigans–doing drugs, partying, and bullying anyone who crosses his path. But while trying to maintain his bad-boy image, Tommy finds himself softening as he gets closer to Jonathan. Eventually, the family lets its guard down, revealing how much they’ve grown to care for him. And that’s where the story gets muddled. “Heel” is more concerned with maintaining an ominous tone than expanding on the relationship dynamics in the household.
The screenplay, co-written by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, is too vague for its own good. For example, Jonathan constantly refers to an unseen boy named Charlie, who seems to have gone, but his comic books remain in the house. Was Charlie his biological brother or another hostage? Did he die or take his own life? Or did he simply run away? Why does Kathryn feel so attached to Tommy, and when did this kidnapping practice begin? Polish director Jan Komasa introduces us to a family too vague to be compelling, choking their character development with unnecessary mystery.
Boon carries the film with his self-assured performance of a young man who lashes out due to a lack of paternal love in his life. While the rest of the film falters, Boon keeps the whole mess watchable. But much like his previous film, last year’s “Anniversary,” there’s something inescapably artificial about the social commentary here.” Like many genre films this decade, “Heel” feels glaringly incomplete.
