Lisa McCullough

Synopsis: Both ends of a New York City tunnel collapse, trapping hundreds of motorists beneath the Hudson River - can one man lead the commuters to daylight before the river wipes out the tunnel? USA - 1996 - PG13

A harrowing psychological thriller from a widely acclaimed filmmaker, Daylight pits a couple lost in America against a conniving gang of kidnappers, in David Barker's rigorous and personal re-imagining of the genre film. Despite its familiar genre elements, Daylight is different - a powerful, shocking piece of vigorous cinema, which fuses eroticism and tenderness with the harrowing weight of pregnancy and kidnapping. This isn't about what you want. On their way to a wedding, Danny and Irene pick up a hitchhiker - throwing the film in the direction of the conventional rural kidnapper thriller. But with the skill of director David Barker and his miraculous cast and crew, Daylight emerges as much, much more than just another exploitation picture. Kidnappers Renny, Leo, and Murphy enact a bizarre and terrifying ritual of politeness, endowing such scenes as the passing of a bread knife at a kitchen table with a threat of ferocious violence - but also trust. One thing leads to the next thing. Right now, this is the thing. Alexandra Meierhans - pregnant as the character Irene, and pregnant in real life - delivers an astonishing performance as the female lead. Simultaneously vulnerable and dangerous, a captive and a seductress, she somehow struggles to survive and endure, bringing the audience along with her through to the shattering conclusion.