Rent The Device (2014)

Spoilers follow ... - The Device review by NP

This is a nicely acted film, basically a three-hander, featuring Abbey and Calvin (Angela DiMarco and David S. Hogan), a married couple and Abbey’s sister Rebecca (Kate Alden). They characters are meeting up to scatter the ashes of the sisters’ dead mother over a secluded lake, and also for them to build bridges following tragic events that are slowly revealed throughout. At the lakeside, Calvin discovers a black shiny ball that seems to contain strange properties. Following his study of the ball, Abbey begins to experience nightmares.

This a low budget and slightly ponderous story that requires the three otherwise likeable characters to earnestly try to ‘understand each other.’ The alien threat which slowly begins to manifest has caused ‘The Device’ to be compared to The X-Files, which is an understandable comparison. It is a quietly effective story, directed and co-written by Jeremy Berger, who slowly piles on the revelations and backstory in a measured way. Also, Calvin is of note in that he seems to alternate between trying to be rational, and acting downright suspiciously.