Compliance Movie Review (2012)

There aren’t a lot of films that are so triggering and unnerving that I don’t know how to recommend them, but Compliance is definitely among the few. It’s distressing and does its job well.

This is one of those reviews that I can’t write the way I normally do. I would usually give you a general premise of the film and discuss some of the different aspects or the cast – which I still intend to do – but I feel that I have a responsibility to go a little further in this case because, even days later, I am still triggered by this film.

Compliance is a movie that is based on true events. Responding to a phone call from the police on a busy Friday night at a fast-food restaurant, the manager, Sandra, is asked to apprehend a specific employee (Becky) and stash her away in the office to try to recover some stolen money. Based only on the instructions and insistence of the police officer, the manager and several other people are each asked to watch the young woman and do things that may get them closer to recovering the cash.

***SPOILERS BELOW***
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Over the course of the film, Becky is asked to undress – initially from her clothing for a strip-search by Sandra – and, after being given an apron by another employee – from her apron. It is clear from very early on that the person on the phone is not a police officer, but a man making a prank call and saying everything that he can to establish authority and get the people to comply with his wishes.

Once he has gotten Sandra to leave individual men in the room with Becky, Becky is eventually sexually assaulted. Becky complies with everything from the beginning, even as she protests, because she feels that she is going to have to do it anyway. You as the viewer experience the same kind of helplessness because you know where this is going and you can do absolutely nothing to stop it.

This type of event happened approximately 70 times in reality at different restaurants until the prank caller was arrested.
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***END SPOILERS***

This film will disturb you, as you are on to what is happening WAY before the film ever lets you loose from the building tension and trauma. It presents an excellent question about how far you would be willing to go based on what someone else has asked you to do. This goes back to the Milgram psychological experiment and it clearly still happens today. When someone is in a position of authority, it can be stressful to push back, particularly if they continue to assert their dominance. Where is that line and what are you supposed to do instead?

Starring Dreama Walker as Becky and Ann Dowd as Sandra (she plays the most complicated characters, serious respect for this woman), Compliance is a test-case as to how far you will allow someone to dominate before (or if?) you decide to question their authority. This movie is deemed a thriller/drama, but I’d say that it floats into its own kind of horror film as well.

I am not sure how to rate this film, but the fact that I am still so disturbed would warrant a higher rating. I have seen many, many situations on film, so it is interesting just how triggered I am, and that is a testament to the filmmaking. Without a well constructed story and situation, it would have fallen flat, and this decidedly did not.

Runtime: 99 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? At your own discretion, this is a good film, but it is very triggering

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Available: Free on Netflix and PlutoTV, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms