STOCKADE – Review by Lynn Venhaus
Ah, the American Dream – elusive for some, obtainable for others, yet it draws people to our shores in search of a better life.
In Stockade, this is the endgame goal for Ahlam (Sarah Bitar), a Lebanese artist who is seeking to get her visa extended so she can stay in New York City. She’s finished with art school, living in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, and working odd jobs to support her vocation.
The hopeful young woman paints colorful abstract modern art and is getting some notice. For a needed paycheck, she is asked to deliver a package upstate in the Hudson Valley, assured it’s not drugs, and off she goes.
This parcel opens a Pandora’s Box of problems for her, for she has unwittingly become involved in the high-stakes underworld of stolen ancient artifact trafficking.
This slow-burn of a mystery is a passion project for writer-director Eric McGinty, who hit the festival circuit with his low-budget independent film in 2023 and 2024. After a distribution deal with Veronique Films, the film opens in limited theatrical release in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, and then on digital, cable and satellite platforms, as well as on DVD, on Feb. 25.
McGinty also plays the enigmatic Richard, who is involved in the deal. Ahlam’s lack of familiarity affects her safety as menacing figures appear. Ho-Jung plays the baffling Eun-Me and Guy Camilleri is her equally peculiar husband Keith. What did she get herself involved in, and at what cost?
Bitar is convincing as the in-the-dark courier. Not as strong are some of the less experienced actors trying to sell some clumsy dialogue that attempts to over-explain what’s happening, or why they have shown up.
It’s obvious that some appear to create more mystery, but their skill performance-wise is basic at best.
Nevertheless, the effort is sincere. Guy de Lancey plays the cryptic artworld guy Paul who asks Ahlam to sub in his place and doubled as the film’s cinematographer.
With a small crew and a minimal cast, Stockade (named after the Kingston neighborhood) sets up a lived-in world of city streets and modest residences to tell its story. Composer Alex Wakim establishes a foreboding tone early, which adds to the ominous mood.
Several awkward transitions involve a couple of encounters with hard-to-figure-out Zora (Bahar Beihaghia), a Lebanese-born American citizen who is rather miffed at Ahlam for not being friendlier when they were both art students and really pushes hard to make a fresh connection.
She conveniently describes what the operation entails, disappears, and then mystifyingly shows up, muddling what is believable.
For a time, the tension genuinely builds, and there is a present sense of danger for Ahlem. But inexplicably, these lame personal entanglements intrude, and then the original set-up story takes a confusing turn.
By then, it’s easy to lose interest because of the script’s lack of ideas to convey realistic situations, and the pace slows down.
Abruptly, the action has moved ahead several months from summer to winter, without necessary explanation, and then the plot fizzles out with a strangely lackluster conclusion. Regrettably, the connect-the-dots aren’t compelling enough to care.
The film’s unfortunate lack of depth derails even the best of intentions.
