Opening today in Los Angeles is Two Step, a confident debut feature by writer and director Alex R. Johnson. It’s a crime story set in Austin, Texas – and that’s exactly where the indie thriller made a splash earlier this year at the SXSW festival. The film is a promising showcase for Johnson, a filmmaker who can effectively startle and surprise with his sense of how to blend a southern drama into a shocking crime thriller.

As the film opens, we follow the tribulations of James (Skyy Moore), a would-be orphan and recent Baylor dropout who lives with his grandmother. It’s not long before she succumbs to illness, leaving James even more lost.  James resembles Ellar Coltrane during the last few or so years in Boyhood’s anthology; he has a similar appearance and distraught demeanor, and even lives a close drive away. Much of the film’s first act follows James attempting to pick up the pieces by starting up a bank account and making the acquaintance of Dot (Beth Broderick). They share a chemistry that, for the slightest of moments, suggests the two may become entangled in a Harold and Maude or Mrs. Robinson type scenario, but this soon disperses when a subplot involving Dot and a former lover unfolds.

The other main character we follow is Webb (James Landry Hebert), a con artist whose crimes seem petty and paltry initially. His first moment has him calling a long list of people, pretending to be a relative in hopes for some favors. But as the story progresses so does witness to the depraved lows this criminal will go to. Hebert distills convincing menace here into such a reprehensible character, but not without a shade of something empathetic. Maybe it’s because he owes a hefty sum to Duane (Jason Douglas). Webb eventually turns to the vulnerable Jason as a potential target for fraud and extortion.

The film is a promising showcase for Johnson, a filmmaker who can effectively startle and surprise with his sense of how to blend a southern drama into a shocking crime thriller.

 

At one point, while Webb is beating around the bush with Duane, the latter explains, “I don’t live in a world of maybe, I live in Texas”.  And as the film expands to an audience outside the lone star state today, it may cause nostalgia to those who have lived deep in the heart of Texas, and maybe even wanderlust for those who haven’t. The story comes complete with details such as country-dance clubs, a decaying gas-n-go, and Whataburger cups. In other words, it has exactly the kind of humid, rustic ambience one might expect from a Texan tale; the kind that makes you wonder why James wears that flannel. Maybe it’s just not August yet.

But James, Dot, and Webb are the characters that we ultimately spend the most time with. The first act sets up the characters, their thematic connection to one another, and the world they live in exquisitely. When this simmering turns into a boil for the next hour, the results are shocking and impactful. The best example of this is that James and Webb never meet face-to-face until halfway through the film. When they do, it’s a moment of unbearable tension. The music is another strong point of the film, alternating between an authentic country soundtrack that contributes to its ambience as a southern drama, and Andrew Kenny’s moody score surrounding the moments of grit and dirt.

The best thing Two Step has going for it is that characters matter even more as the suspense builds. The palpability of James’ isolation grows as he deals with being Webb’s prey. The elevating consequences of Webb’s actions are believable since the character is so id-driven to begin with. The subplot about the public exposure of Dot’s affair in the second half keeps the film from becoming too heavy on violence – yet it still raises the stakes. Alex R. Johnson is a filmmaker who understands the cinematic crescendo, and for that reason his movie should find favor with Californian audiences today.

Two Step opens in Los Angeles at Arena Cinemas today.