From director D. C. Hamilton and writer, producer, and star Brinna Kelly, the Hitchcockian romance The Fare stands out as one of the most memorable indie movies of the year. In the movie, Kelly stars as a charming young woman named Penny who steps into the cab of taxi driver Harris (Gino Anthony Pesi, Shades of Blue). Harris is entranced with Penny until she inexplicably disappears from the back of his cab without a trace. By resetting his meter, Harrison transports himself back to when Penny first climbs into the cab, trapping them both in a never-ending time loop which will change their lives forever.
With its simple yet intriguing premise, The Fare is fairly reminiscent of classic science-fiction shows like The Twilight Zone. This is by design, as Brinna Kelly was inspired by how those older shows were able to tell such amazing stories despite their limitations. “As a child the stories that fascinated me the most were old sci-fi shows of yesteryear. I was captivated and intrigued by the likes of Star Trek, the original series and The Twilight Zone. These shows were able to do so much with so little,” Kelly says of her inspiration to take on this kind of movie. Similarly, The Fare shines with its own compelling sci-fi story, even with such limited locations and characters.
The pleasing visuals do a lot to enhance The Fare as well, blending black and white with color depending on the context of the scene. A lot of effort went into the cinematography, and aesthetically, this particularly made watching the movie a lot of fun. The noir look is also appropriate given the mystery elements of the thriller, and some twists along the way sort of call back to some of the greatest sci-fi classics from years past. It’s an interesting way of paying homage to a style of filmmaking which seems to have gone by the wayside in recent years, giving The Fare a rather unique feel compared to other contemporary movies. Paired with a hooking storyline, the cinematography helps make the movie that much better.
With the bulk of the movie spent in a taxi, The Fare is very much a character-driven film. Fortunately, the leading co-stars have excellent chemistry and work very well together. Each of the characters are very likable in own ways, and as a viewer, I was on the ride along with them as they both tried to make some sense out of what was happening in that taxi. Although the cast and locations are very limited it never feels like you needed more, and for that, a lot of credit needs to be given to Kelly and Pesi for carrying the story so well from beginning to end.
The Fare is now available on VOD and Blu-ray. With a compelling sci-fi story, fantastic visuals, and great chemistry with its lead stars, The Fare makes for a thrilling ride. You can watch the official trailer below, courtesy of Epic Pictures Group on YouTube.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Movieweb.
