A retired German soldier, Sara Wulf (played by Jeanne Goursaud), has received a job offer from a company in the United States that specializes in helping post-war veterans get back on their feet. Despite suffering from PTSD from her time in Afghanistan — and losing her husband in a battle there — Sara is taking her son, Josh (Rickson Guy da Silva), through the American Consulate so she can cross the Atlantic where, hopefully, a new lease on life awaits. After waiting a few hours, her six-year old starts to get restless. She finds a children’s playroom he can play in while she goes and gets a cup of coffee. But, when she returns, her son is gone. Once the authorities get involved, they question whether she ever really did have her son with her when she arrived, questioning whether she’s delusional due to her PTSD. As time goes on, her helplessness grows stronger and stronger before, finally, the truth comes out.
The star of the show is, indeed, the star. Newcomer (to Americans at least) Goursaud carries this movie and really gives it the authentic feel it needs in order to successfully impact the audience. So much so that I’m now actively wondering how much better TERMINATOR: DARK FATE would’ve been had she played Grace instead of Mackenzie Davis.
In large part to Goursaud’s performance, you feel the anxiety of a parent having lost a child and the fight to try and get that child back. There are plenty of action movies who only wish they could have that kind of weight.
Writer and director Christian Zübert does a nice job here trimming the fat. From Josh’s momentary disappearance in the train station to the toy left behind in the cafeteria, every line of dialogue and situation helps move the story along. The characters are developed well and the script was cleverly sculpted to lead the audience down one path while the truth was possibly down another.
That said, there are a handful of absurd coincidental occurrences, unfortunately, taking the audience out of the movie. For example, Irina’s apartment is broken into and, after a brief tussle with the intruder, we’re supposed to believe that she would immediately lie to protect the stranger?
If you want a largely mindless action movie featuring a badass chick that takes place in a single location, watch Daisy Ridley in CLEANER. But, if you crave a little more emotional depth in your single-location butt-kicking flick, EXTERRITORIAL has what you need. One of the best compliments you can receive as an actor is “Now I can’t wait to see them in whatever’s next.” And that’s where we’re at with Goursaud.
JKG SCORE: 6.5
Untitled Film Project 