The Exit State Review – A Dystopian Horror Thriller Where Americans Want Out

The Exit State looks at the future of America through a bleak dystopian lens. As the country becomes authoritarian and engulfed in crisis, a group of Americans flees for Mexico. Getting across isn’t easy, so they need to rely on others to assist them in crossing the border. Yet there’s never a moment when they aren’t looking over their shoulder in their search for refuge – and you can’t help but feel the same fear in the pit of your stomach as well.

The fear in The Exit State operates on two levels. One, the group knows that if a government official catches wind of anything, they’re in big trouble. Then there’s the aspect of them putting trust in complete strangers; in this instance, it’s wealthy siblings Vince (Josh George) and Claire (Callie Schuttera). They have a lovely home that’s the safe house for everybody here, but you just know that something’s off about them.

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George and Schuttera are also the writers of the movie, along with director Gabriela Ledesma. They don’t try to overwrite the characters or get too in the weeds about current-day politics, allowing the nature of the uneasy premise itself to be the tension-carrying mechanism of the story. The only red herring is the relationship between Cindy Nguyen’s Zoey (one of the people seeking asylum) and Vince. They used to date in high school, and it’s clear that Vince still has feelings for her, so it makes you question whether there could be a twist in the tale that’s mostly easy to call from the get-go.

That’s the thing, though: this never needed to be overly twisty or turn Shyamalanian. Anybody who watches the trailer knows there’s only one direction this can go in, but you’re still curious about the journey and seeing who survives this horror. 

Speaking of which, Ledesma chooses restraint in this regard. Rather than walk down the boulevard of brutality and gore, the director allows your mind to do the heavy lifting here. Vince and Claire’s home is luxurious and looks homely, but it also isolates the characters. There’s a false sense of security that you uncover after peeling back the veneer. That isn’t to say that The Exit State lacks horror – not at all – but it’s more about the brooding atmosphere than the jump scares and kills. It’s billed as a horror thriller, but it might edge more toward the latter.

Performance-wise, Clayton Farris as Andrew stands out. Ironically, he’s the member of the group who stands out too, because he’s part of the party for different reasons. Farris had a small but memorable part as Terry Miller in Weapons, but he more than makes the most of his increased screen time in this film. Andrew is the comedic relief here, but every time he appears onscreen, you want to see more of him.

Where The Exit State falls short, though, is in some of its dialogue, since there seems to be an aversion to silence in key scenes. It isn’t as if the dialogue is exposition-heavy, but there’s almost a need to get another word in at times. Sometimes, a look or gesture is more effective than a quip or exchange, and this movie could have benefited from less talking.

The Exit State succeeds in making a movie that captures a genuine fear of the times, but it also understands how to tell a story that could still be watched and appreciated by later generations without needing to live in our specific moment. Of course, that’s looking at it from an optimistic point of view and hoping that America – and the world – doesn’t turn into the reality depicted here.

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The Exit State is out on VOD through Chroma.