In a time when trust and faith in government institutions are at an all-time low, it seems like now is a perfect atmosphere for paranoia-fueled conspiracy thrillers to make a comeback. Films revolving around wild-eyed protagonists on the run from shadowy government agents were all the rage in the post-Watergate 70s, but sadly, big-budget blockbusters rule the roost these days, with more adult-orientated fare often being overlooked or pushed to the side. Enter Dashcam by director Christian Nilsson, a tight little indie that throws back to films like Antonioni’s Blow Up or De Palma’s update of that story, Blow Out, where a regular joe may or may not have stumbled upon a secret that those in power will kill to keep.
It should be noted that this is not to be confused with another 2021 film called Dashcam from director Rob Savage (who also directed the pandemic set horror film Host), though both that film and this one examine different aspects of American life during the pandemic. This film follows Jake, a video editor working on a news story revolving around a recent police shooting that resulted in the death of the officer-involved and a political figure that had been pulled over. Conspiracy theories have run rampant that there’s more to this shooting than the public is being told, and the local government is releasing the dash-cam footage to the press in an effort to show that this was only a routine traffic stop gone horribly wrong. Jake is sent the footage in question but also erroneously receives a file containing evidence that seems to tell another story about what happened that night. Desperate to advance in the world of journalism, Jake sees this as his chance to prove himself as a reporter by breaking the true story behind the shooting. Anyone in the film industry will tell you that making a movie during the height of the pandemic was a tall order. How do you tell a story and make it compelling while also ensuring the safety of your cast and crew? Most TV shows and movies that were shot in 2020 and early 2021 were basically reduced to talking heads as a way of ensuring actors kept their distance from each other. Though there were some filmmakers who saw this as a chance to use a little creativity and ingenuity, like Host which told a ghost story entirely through zoom calls. Dashcam keeps things COVID safe by having most of the action in one location, with Jake communicating primarily through video chat and email as he unravels the mystery of the footage he’s been sent. Most of the film is essentially a one-man show as we watch Jake use his skills as an editor to piece together a narrative of what happened during that fateful shooting.
All in all, it’s a rather clever way to pull an audience into a story while also creatively making good use of the restrictions the pandemic put on filmmaking. Though some of the sequences involving using the editing software to peel back layers of this mystery do start to feel tedious at times, thankfully Nilsson doesn’t linger on them too long and keeps it broad enough that even general audiences with no knowledge of video editing will understand what’s going on. The ending does feel a bit abrupt though, and it’s one of the few moments where it really felt like filming during a pandemic hurt this film rather than helped it.
A conspiracy involving a government possibly using the police as a hit squad is all too timely, while conspiracy theories themselves have also become a bit of a touchy subject over the past few years, with the previous Presidential administration, the election, and the pandemic and vaccine effort all being marred by them. Needless to say, both are sensitive topics that require a deft hand, and thankfully Dashcam handles both responsibly without ever feeling preachy or stepping over a line. Telling a story about a conspiracy theory turning out to be true is a bit of a tightrope walk given today’s political atmosphere, but thankfully by keeping the story grounded and plausible, this never feels sleazy or exploitative. The key to good a conspiracy story is, rather ironically, to keep things simple. Though the main character will have to navigate a labyrinth, what lies at the heart of this maze should be something relatively simple. Dashcam knows that it’s the journey, not the destination, and takes audiences along quite the ride before arriving at the truth, which instead of being outlandish, feels frighteningly grounded.
Overall though, Dashcam is a tight and timely little thriller with a story ripped straight from the headlines. Indie filmmakers often have to get creative and resourceful during a normal shoot, let alone during a pandemic, and films like these deserve just as much attention as the latest big-budget superhero film. Given recent box office successes, it seems that audiences are craving escapism more than films that tackle recent issues, and given all that’s occurred in the past few years, it’s hard to blame them. All things considered though, there’s still a need for films like this that can tell a topical story in an entertaining way. It takes a lot of craft to make a compelling single location thriller with essentially one character, but Dashcam expertly pulls it off while not overstaying its welcome. Some of the more technical aspects of the story may test an audience’s patience, but this is still a film worth checking out that hopefully doesn’t get overshadowed by the other 2021 Dashcam movie.
James Reinhardt