Run, Baby, Run doesn’t break the mold when it comes to modern-day thrillers, but it certainly rushes full speed ahead.
The film follows Diana (Catutxa Leira), a young deaf woman setting out for an outdoor run. Things seem relatively harmless until a mysterious hooded runner races by. From their initial bump on a running path, competition arises between the two, eventually evolving into a fight for survival.
Director Toni Andújar‘s film is brimming with intensity. From its onset to its final act, the film has little opportunity to slow down. It truly feels as if it’s a race against time.
It’s a script with very limited dialogue and one that relies on its action-intense plot and physical suspense. It utilizes high-pressure moments brought to life by a captivating and energetic synth-based score. There are times when the music becomes too much, but it brings the film’s pulse to a demanding fever, as unrelenting as the story (and antagonist) themselves. The stakes continue to be raised and the lengths that Diana has to go to to live increase in size and danger. While others become involved and things move off the beaten path, the film never loses focus of the two battling at the center.
Some occasionally strange angles bewilder, along with some unnecessary shifts in the plot, but overall, it captures nature beautifully, and human nature, terrifyingly. The action scenes and cinematography are all staggeringly done in such a way that it feels as if we are there with her.
I wish we could have gotten more background (though we do have some telling flashbacks) with Diana, but so much of the film is built around this experience and we learn about her as she discovers her will to survive. Run, Baby, Run doesn’t shy away from being strange with intriguingly unique branching-off points as the plot is propelled forward. This is certainly a film that roars with female ferocity and it’s a call I was excited to hear.
One can admire Toni Andújar for the bold way that this film is tackled. It’s a sprawling set piece that traverses a lot of ground. It doesn’t relent; with little given in terms of a reprieve. While it doesn’t always stick the landings, some genuine scenes of distress are laden within a film carried by its lead performance. Overall, Run, Baby, Run is the little thriller that could: ambitious and enthralling.
Run, Baby, Run is available on VOD.
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