There is something here that you don’t get with many films these days–originality.
Surprisingly, I had not heard of Await Further Instructions prior to seeing it. My wife, Petal, came across it on Netflix, decided the trailer looked alluring enough, and hit play. Honestly, I probably would have passed based solely on the trailer. I’m glad I didn’t.
Synopsis from IMDB: It’s Christmas Day and the Milgram family wake to find a mysterious black substance surrounding their house. Something monumental is clearly happening right outside their door, but what exactly – an industrial accident, a terrorist attack, nuclear war? Descending into terrified arguments, they turn on the television, desperate for any information. On screen a message glows ominously: ‘Stay Indoors and Await Further Instructions’. As the television exerts an ever more sinister grip, their paranoia escalates into bloody carnage.
Set in the UK, the movie stars a cast that was largely unknown to me. But they waste no time showing their acting chops. Even before the horrors of the plot really arrive, we’re introduced to some serious family drama. The men in the family do not get along one bit, and, though we’re never told the whole backstory, the audience understands that there have been quarrels aplenty in the past, and the slightest thing can potentially turn this Christmas get-together into a screaming match. In fact, that’s basically what happens, and when Nick (Sam Gittins) and Annji (Neerja Naik) try to storm out, that’s when they discover that the house is cloaked in…something.
Then the movie goes a little Twilight Zone on us, with the television displaying ever more strange instructions for the trapped family. Some family members view the instructions with hesitancy, while others see them as concrete orders which must be followed, no matter the consequences.
And then things get really weird.
I’m not going to give away the twist. The movie posters already give away too much, in my opinion. Just know that things get really wild and it’s all very satisfying for the viewer. And the ending–excellent!
You won’t be disappointed with Await Further Instructions. Watch it on Netflix or Amazon.