DO NOT DISTURB (2023) - Mark Reviews Movies

Do Not Disturb, Dark Star Pictures

Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Become a Patron

Review by Mark Dujsik | November 16, 2023

It's possible to look at a couple and see that their relationship is doomed to fail. That's the immediate impression upon meeting Chloe (Kimberly Laferrière) and Jack (Rogan Christopher), the main characters of Do Not Disturb. They're supposed to be on their honeymoon in Miami, but if this couple was ever happy together, their honeymoon phase ended well before this trip.

Writer/director John Ainslie's film focuses on the tension between these characters, which is palpable at every moment, even when Chloe and Jack decide to drink a lot of alcohol and take assorted drugs in order to relax and maybe find some of that old connection in the stupor. Even the decision to partake in various narcotics and hallucinogens is a point of contention between the two. He wants to, and she doesn't. On top of that, Jack wants to, despite promising his wife that he would quit such substances, and Chloe doesn't want to, because she knows the kind of person her husband can become under the influence.

Watching all of this unfold is uncomfortable, and the surprise of Ainslie's screenplay isn't just how he finds new ways to escalate the tension between his main characters, making what seems to be the height of discomfort even more uneasy. It's also in the specific way this story transforms into an unsettling horror story that, in a strange way, sees this couple working together at their best, even as they indulge in some of the worst behavior imaginable.

Most of this story is set inside a cramped hotel room without a view. That seems to be just another reason for the two argue, because Chloe was really hoping for an ocean view, since the hotel is right there by the beach, but Jack didn't want to pay extra for something so insignificant in his mind, since the beach is right there by the hotel. It's more than just a disagreement over location and money, though, because Chloe has a steady job, is handling most or all of the couple's expenses, and has been generally fine with that arrangement. Now, though, she wants to be married, start a family with this man, and see him take some initiative—not because it's necessary for them financially, but more so that Chloe knows she can actually count on Jack when it is necessary for her to do so.

All of this is so grounded and understandable, and it goes a long way to making both of these characters seem like real people, whom one might see—and, likely, actively avoid, if only because their shared aura is one of such frustration and anxiety—out in the wide world somewhere. Laferrière and Christopher play these roles with an easy sense of realism, too, and there's something refreshing about the fact that both actors look as if we might actually see them in some random place. They're not movie stars, which is not meant to be a slight against either their talents or their appearance (They're both leading actors here, after all, in terms of both of those things), but if one imagines material like this being performed by a pair of bigger names, it would seem distracting.

Instead, we inherently accepts these actors as these characters, buy these characters as potentially real people, and feel even more uncomfortable witnessing the rawness of old resentments, remembered pains, and constant ire on display. Most of them are right there, such as when their financial concerns and their job disparity emerges, and some of them remain unspoken.

Chloe voices one of them to Wendy (Janet Porter), a fellow vacationer and the wife of Wayne (Christian McKenna), when the two couples retire to Wendy and Wayne's hotel room one night. Chloe had a miscarriage, after an unexpected pregnancy that she hoped would be the start of the family she has always wanted. How the scene in the other room turns out should remain unspoken here, though, but it only goes to further prove just how little Jack thinks about the consequences of his action, how his wife feels, and what minimal self-awareness he actually possesses.

There's another big revelation in this story, which has less to do with the couple's past or present predicaments. It's difficult to talk around it, because so much of the plot revolves around the aftermath and continual—sometimes secret—use of peyote, a cactus with psychotropic effects when ingested. Chloe and Jack lose track of time and any memory of what they've done when they first eat some of the plant, but we see some of what happens—as they become more aggressive and far less restrained in acting on their impulses. Some seemingly playful biting is involved, and the most that probably should be said is that the biting becomes much less playful as the story progresses.

The result is an eerie, gross, and darkly amusing film. It alternates between a claustrophobic nightmare within the hotel room, with telltale signs of time passing and some awful things happening in there, and a chilling thriller, as the two work together (well, as much as Jack is willing to work yet again) to ensure their actions during that missing time aren't discovered. The cold heart and perceptive narrative of Do Not Disturb, though, belongs to its depiction of relationship collapsing—constantly feeding on all of the negative feelings that have accumulated over the years and continue to do so. As for the how the movie's central and horrifying metaphor fits into this, let's just say they're always hungry for more.

Back to Home

Buy Related Products