Taped testimonials tantamount to tactical treachery tarnish trust in turbulent times amounting to a plot tangled due to a tumultuous tapestry of tantalizing temptations with the involvement in counterespionage targeted towards certain cottage tenant’s secretive nature.

18 ½ is an award-winning thriller/comedy independent film about the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon by Dan Mirvish. The premise is simple: What if there was a secret unaltered version of the infamous Nixon tape that had that missing 18 ½ minutes?

Directed by Dan Mirvish, he even has a voice-over cameo as a radio announcer which I noticed was noted in the credits. It’s shot using several close up to make conversations more personal. It’s paced fast enough so characters have room to grow without feeling rushed. He uses wide shots to display the beautiful countryside too.

Written by Daniel Moya with a story by Dan Mirvish and Daniel Moya, it’s about how a transcriber and a news reporter go to a rental cottage to listen to this super-secret tape together so he can take notes because she doesn’t trust anyone else to have possession of it. While there, they meet a wide array of characters. The story is surprisingly more character-driven than it is political. While the facts of the highly documented case are discussed from different perspectives it’s more about what motivated the characters and why.

The cast includes Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis Hall, Richard Kind, Catherine Curtin, Ted Raimi, Al Haig, Jon Cryer and Bruce Campbell as Richard Nixon. They all give solid performances as well-rounded, flawed characters with questionable reasons as to why they’re all renting cottages while the media is taken by storm by coverage of the scandal.

Vondie Curtis-Hall and Catherine Curtin steal the show. They have phenomenal chemistry together as an elderly couple in a nearby cottage. They both exude a lifelong married couple with wisdom to pass to the next generation on how to keep the love everlasting.

Overall, 18 ½  is a great work of historical fiction with an engaging mystery following an unexpected plot, unlike the usual political thrillers. An exquisitely directed cleverly written script makes for a new take on a conspiracy theory people still debate to this day. More importantly, it poses the questions from multiple angles rather than being preachy and pandering heavy-handed messages to the viewer.

By subverting expectations, an engaging plot is created with great debates about the themes of trust, relationships, morality and ethics, both business and personal. It has interesting allegories about the Vietnam war too. It becomes a fascinating game of who is trustworthy with a nice blend of humour and suspense. Be sure to stay for the especially humourous mid-credit scene too. And remember, where were you when Watergate’s biggest secrets were about to unwind?

18 ½ is getting a North American theatrical release this summer – opening May 27 in LA and expanding to 50+ markets coast-to-coast on June 3. VOD/Streaming will be available on July 5. After screening 21 festivals in 8 countries since last fall, it’s being brought to a wider audience just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in on June 17.

9 out of 10