Sometimes small towns hold the biggest secrets. Roots grow deep in tiny communities, and those that call these places home are often fiercely protective over family and fellow citizens. While this can be seen as admirable, there are times when those secrets are dark, disquieting, and even dangerous. Brut Force, written and directed by Eve Symington, examines one such small town, and the troubling web of deceit and peril tangled amongst a rural California backdrop.

Recently fired from her job, reporter Sloane Sawyer (Lelia Symington) reluctantly returns to her hometown of Santa Lucia, a small city in the Central California wine country, after a friend tells her of suspicious activity amongst the local vineyard workers. We’re treated to several picturesque shots of the town as Sloane drives in, providing a glimpse of the agrarian environment that makes up the place she used to call home. It’s crafty visual storytelling, given that so much of the plot revolves around what happens within the town itself. 

It’s clear just how tight-knight this area is when seemingly every person Sloane comes into contact with the moment she arrives is someone she knows; from police officers, to local workers, to even the homeless. Though she immediately comes across as guarded, even bordering on stand-offish, there appears to be no bad blood between her and any of the locals.

She quickly meets up with the people who summoned her back to Santa Lucia: vineyard workers Marcos (Julian Silva) and his mother, Juana (Lilian Tapia). They tell her that someone has been harassing the local workers, which has only escalated over the past few days. They plead with her to investigate, given her natural ability as a former reporter to gain information. She again seems hesitant, stating that she’s “on hiatus” from any kind of detective work, but ultimately agrees to see what she can find out.

Nearly every frame of Brut Force is shot in a way where the camera lingers just long enough to communicate ample feeling and deduction to the viewer, capitalizing on the “show don’t tell” method of telling a story. As Sloane continues her investigation, much of it alone where there is no other character to share her thoughts with, we must rely on the acting prowess of Symington to deliver her thoughts, which she fortunately excels at. 

Matters get increasingly more complicated and dangerous when the mysterious individual at the center of the threats and harassment raises the stakes substantially, involving both Sloane and those that she loves in perilous and alarming ways. As the drama unravels, so do the lives of multiple individuals, as we discover that some motives are as entrenched in the land as the trees rooted into the soil.

There’s something about the tone of Brut Force that offers an almost intangible sense of comfort and familiarity. Every character feels authentic and genuine, as though they are all people we would come across in our daily lives. Though Sloane appears brazen and self-assured, she’s not devoid of flaws. She has virtually no filter on what she says to others, is impulsive and makes mistakes, but also owns up to them and makes no excuses. It’s refreshing to see a lead who is responsible for carrying much of the movie on their shoulders also act in a way that’s believable and relatable. 

We get such a sense for all who are involved that it feels more like the finale of a television show where we have spent ample hours getting to know them, instead of the short 90 minute runtime that we are given. Brut Force is truly a movie that grabs hold of you, not in an intense way so often seen in thrillers, but in a quiet, captivating way, and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. 

9 out of 10