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‘Run’ stars Sarah Paulson as a parent struggling to raise her teenage daughter, played by Kiera Allen. The daughter was born with conditions that render her in a wheelchair and also force her to be homeschooled and Sarah Paulson’s character as her nurse, teacher, and mother. But all is not what it seems as the daughter uncovers secrets that the mother may have been keeping from her since she was born. This suspense thriller delves into madness and shows you just how far a mother would be willing to go to protect her daughter.
I knew nothing going into the film, and I think it may be viewed best by not looking too much further than the first paragraph when it comes to explaining the story. Director Aneesh Chaganty does a great job of not revealing too many of the plot points in the film until the audience has a chance to follow along. Known for the breakout hit ‘Searching’, Aneesh Chaganty brings a new dynamic into ‘Run’ that I enjoyed. The pacing overall was great, I felt engaged throughout the entire film.
The performances by both Paulson and Allen are terrific and they have great chemistry together as a mother-daughter duo. Kiera Allen being a paraplegic in real life was able to lend a level of authenticity to her character that shows in the final cut. When she is struggling with things that to anyone else would be much less difficult, you are right there in the moment feeling all the emotions that her character is and that is a testament to her acting and ability to pull us into the story with her. Sarah Paulson has been a force to be reckoned with since her performance in ‘The People vs. O.J. Simpson’ and she again is a standout performance here. I loved her ability to seem genuine and caring but have that one off-center tick that keeps you guessing what her motivations are and her intentions for her daughter she insists she is trying to protect and keep healthy.
If there was an issue for me it could have been on its predictability in the end. I could see where the film was going and once the story caught up to me, it was hard to be engaged. But in the end, it isn’t about what the ending is it is the journey to it, and ‘Run’ is an excellent journey that I think anyone could take and have a good time watching. It isn’t overtly scary but does have a lot of good suspense building and characters.