USA | 102 MINUTES | English | English subtitles
THE LONER
Action, Thriller
Haunted by memories as a child soldier in 1980s Iran, Behrouz (Reza Sixo Safai, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) finds himself in bustling, neon-soaked Los Angeles, working to become a real estate agent and live a simple life with his girlfriend Oksana. But Behrouz’s attempts at a normal life become increasingly difficult as his opium addiction and gambling habit rear their ugly heads, and he struggles to leave behind his past with the Iranian mafia. Soon Behrouz and Oksana find themselves caught between the feuding heads of the Iranian and Russian mobs. Parviz Sayyad, one of the best-known actors of pre-revolutionary Iran, plays the fear-inducing Iranian mobster Cirrus, and a wild Julian Sands plays his out-of-control Russian counterpart, Evgeny.
First-time feature filmmaker Daniel Grove deftly balances action and violence with a bold visual style, while sensitively portraying Behrouz’s troubled past and present. Accompanied by a pulsating electro soundtrack, this multi-layered neon-noir takes you on a thrilling ride through the underbelly of Los Angeles.
—Jule Rozite
