Taglines: Time is running out.
The Desperate Hour – Lakewood Movie Storyline. Amy Carr (Naomi Watts) is out for what should have been a restorative morning run when a friend calls with terrifying news: authorities are in pursuit of an active shooter, and her teenage son, Noah, may be caught in the middle. Deep within a network of forest paths surrounding her home, miles from town and nearly overwhelmed by panic, Amy refuses to succumb to hopelessness. With her smartphone as her sole means of intervention, she will draw upon every resource she can think of to ensure that her son survives the attack.
Helmed by veteran director Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Dead Calm) and written by Chris Sparling, Lakewood plunges us headlong into a desperate scenario unfolding in real time. The film echoes Sparling’s acclaimed screenplay for Buried, a selection at TIFF 2010, in the sense that most of it unfolds as a one-person show, with Amy navigating the situation remotely.
Yet Noyce’s film also functions as a tribute to the power of a community working together in the face of calamity, as Amy enlists the assistance of an auto-body shop manager, a 911 operator, a rideshare driver, and one of her co-workers at the Marion County Division of Taxation to help her take matters into her own hands.
It is rare to encounter a thriller like Lakewood, at once high-concept and heartfelt, exhilarating and poignant. It is also a showcase for Watts, who masterfully conveys a captivating fusion of impromptu heroism and maternal devotion.
The Desperate Hour (originally Lakewood) is a thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce. It stars Naomi Watts as a woman who is desperately racing to save her child after police place her hometown on lockdown due to an active shooter incident. The film was shot in the North Bay area of Ontario in 2020. It premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The Desperate Hour is scheduled to be theatrically released by Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment on February 25, 2022.
The Desperate Hour – Lakewood (2022)
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Naomi Watts, Colton Gobbo, Sierra Maltby
Screenplay by: Chris Sparling
Production Design by: Zosia Mackenzie
Cinematography by: John Brawley
Film Editing by: Lee Haugen
Costume Design by: Amanda Lee Street
Set Decoration by: Karen Churma
Art Direction by: John O’Regan
Music by: Fil Eisler
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic content and some strong language.
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment, Roadside Attractions
Release Date: September 12, 2021 (TIFF), February 25, 2022 (United States)
Views: 137
