It is said that limitation leads to innovation. When it comes to a film’s setting, the location of where a story takes place can truly evolve that story. So, by limiting the setting of a story, whether it be by limiting to one location or limiting to one specific period of time, the potential exists for the narrative to flourish. Here are six films where the setting is predominantly limited to one location.
Triangle (2009)
Triangle, written and directed by Christopher Smith, follows a group of friends going on a boat trip as a storm rolls in. Stranded on the wreckage of their boat, the group comes across a seemingly empty cruise ship for them to board. The bulk of the movie takes place on this cruise ship, as the group attempt to find their way back to land. The film presents themes of Sisyphean nature, as the characters repeatedly find themselves stuck on the cruise ship despite their attempts to escape their way to the mainland.
The film stars actors Melissa George as Jess, the lead character who is mother to an autistic boy named Tommy, Michael Dorman as Greg, a love interest for Jess who owns the boat that wrecks, Rachael Carpani and Henry Nixon as Sally and Downey respectively, a married couple, and finally Liam Hemsworth as Victor, the deckhand of the boat.
Triangle can be watched for free on Tubi, Xumo Play, or the Roku Channel. It can also be rented from Apple TV or Fandango at Home.
Buried (2010)
Buried, directed by Rodrigo Cortés, stars Ryan Reynolds as the character Paul Conroy, who wakes up one day trapped in a buried coffin, with only a lighter and a BlackBerry phone to light his way. Paul receives a call on the phone from his captor Jabir, voiced by actor José Luis García Pérez, who requests $5 million or Paul will be left in the coffin to die. Reynolds as Paul is uniquely the only character actually shown on screen the whole film, as every other character appears via voice as Paul calls various individuals as he attempts to escape.
The actors to appear in the film other than Reynolds and Pérez include Robert Paterson as Dan Brenner, the head of the Hostage Working Group, and Samantha Mathis as Linda Conroy, Paul’s wife.
Buried can be watched for free on Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, or Fandango at Home.
Coherence (2013)
Coherence, written and directed by James Ward Byrkit, follows a group of friends getting together for a dinner party the night Miller’s Comet passes Earth. Miller’s Comet causes strange occurrences to happen throughout the night, as the power goes out and familiar looking individuals bother them through the night. The film takes place at the home of couple Mike and Lee, played by actors Nicholas Brendon and Lorene Scafaria respectively.
The film stars actors Emily Foxler as Emily, Maury Sterling as Kevin, Hugo Armstrong as Hugh, Elizabeth Gracen as Beth, Alex Manugian as Amir, and Lauren Maher as Laurie.
Coherence can be watched for free on Tubi or Pluto TV. It can also be rented from Fandango at Home or Apple TV.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg in his directorial debut, takes place during an alleged alien invasion. The film stars actors Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a woman who wakes up in a bunker after crashing her car, John Goodman as Howard, the owner of the bunker, and John Gallagher Jr. as Emmett, a fellow occupant of the bunker. Howard claims the apocalypse has occurred due to an alien invasion, keeping Michelle and Emmett in his bunker while preventing them from leaving. The film primarily follows Michelle in her attempts to both escape the bunker and recall how she got there in the first place, as she only vaguely recalls the moments leading up to her car crash.
10 Cloverfield Lane can be streamed on Hulu or Paramount+. It can be rented from Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or Apple TV.
It’s What’s Inside (2024)
It’s What’s Inside, written and directed by Greg Jardin, is a Netflix movie that follows a group of college friends reuniting the night before their friends’ wedding. The bulk of the film takes place at the groom Reuben’s family home, filled with artistic sculptures made by Reuben’s mother. The night goes awry when one of their estranged friends, Forbes, shows up with an experimental “game”, that being a machine that swaps the bodies and minds of those connected to it.
The film stars Brittany O’Grady as Shelby, a girl with self-esteem issues, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Nikki, an online influencer, James Morosini as Cyrus, Shelby’s boyfriend who has feelings for Nikki, Gavin Leatherwood as Dennis, a rich trust-fund-baby, Devon Terrell as Reuben, the groom-to-be, Reina Hardesty as Brooke, a colorful personality who loves art, and Nina Bloomgarden as Maya, a free-spirited girl who enjoys spirituality. Establishing such unique personalities for these characters allows the concept of the film to flourish, as the actors all proceed to portray various characters when the body swapping ensues.
It’s What’s Inside can be streamed on Netflix.
Here (2024)
Here, produced and directed by Robert Zemeckis, pushes the idea of an isolated setting to its extreme. Not only does the film stay in one location the entire time, but the camera stays static for nearly the entire film, staying on the same shot until it transitions into a panning shot at the end. The film stars actors Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly.
The film follows a number of families, showing them grow up, start families, experience tragedies, and celebrate holidays. The film transitions between these points in time through comic book-style white-bordered panels, which appear on screen and showcase what time period is being jumped to before the full transition occurs. These panels come in many different sizes, as some cover nearly the whole screen while always involve multiple smaller panels stitched together or spread apart.
Here can be streamed on Netflix. It can also be rented on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or Apple TV.
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