Low Tide
2019 · Directed by Kevin McMullin
Original language: English
- thriller
The story
In the long days of summer in a beach town on the New Jersey shore, high schooler Alan and his friends Red and Smitty break into vacation homes to steal valuables, funding dates at the boardwalk and lunches at the burger stand. When Alan and his younger brother Peter find a bag of gold coins, they try to hide them from the others — but Red, suspicious and violently unpredictable, seems willing to do anything to get the money.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached summer light over a shore town that feels half-deserted, with boardwalk neon, fireworks sprayed across dark water, and the stale warmth of empty vacation houses. The palette leans on faded blues, sandy beige and the hot orange of late afternoons, and the camera tends to stay close to the teenagers as they drift through rooms and streets that are slightly too quiet. The score is sparse and pulsing, with synth undertones that heighten the sense that something is about to go wrong, and the 1980s setting shows up in clothes, cars and the rhythm of the days. The mood is restless and sun-drenched but tightening, a summer that keeps getting less innocent. Violence is present and can be sudden and ugly, including a killing, and the dread comes as much from waiting for it as from what happens. Best for viewers who like coming-of-age stories with a crime-thriller edge, slow-burn tension and a strong sense of place, and who can handle a dark turn.
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