Films set mostly in one location are incredibly difficult to make, every element needing to be expertly crafted in order to keep the audience gripped by such a contained story. But get it right and the end result can be a tension-filled, compelling watch, and something that can be made even more engaging by its narrative limitations. The Black Rock (2026) thankfully falls into the latter category, Director Andrew Games and Writer Kyle Brookes’s film a minimalistic yet impressive drama about two men on opposite sides of World War Two, and how they cope when they suddenly find themselves forced together in the middle of the conflict.

What’s immediately striking about The Black Rock is the gorgeous imagery, the opening in a Church confessional in 1983 often switching to vivid red and green filters, Games (also cinematographer on this) adding an almost dreamlike quality as an older man (Martin Riley) recounts a tale that has haunted him since the War. That cinematography is even more fascinating when we go back in time to the main story in 1940, the shadowy corners of the room emphasised while Games mostly shoots in bold close-ups, a creative choice that is certainly made to hide the set limitations, but which also heightens the claustrophobia as two soldiers (Kyle Brookes and Charles Riley) become trapped together in a bunker. It allows the brilliant performances from Brookes and Riley to really shine too, their emotional yet subtle portrayals helping us understand the characters’ lives beyond the walls they’re hemmed in by, the pair humanising these men from different sides of the conflict and keeping us gripped at all times by that wonderful narrative.

Indeed, it’s the story that sticks with you long after watching this, Brookes’s script perfectly building that tension as the men try to keep an uneasy peace and not kill each other before they can be rescued. Yet it’s when the narrative takes a turn that this is truly impressive, Brookes pausing the action as the pair start to open up about their lives beyond the War, both finding they have more in common than they first realised. It makes what could have been a predictable, run-of-the-mill drama something fresh and wholly different, Brookes’s brilliant characterisation ensuring these men aren’t just two-dimensional stereotypes (particularly Brookes’s German soldier), while those final moments are genuinely unexpected and very touching.

Despite that great script, overall this is quite a slight film, the story ending just as it’s getting good. I longed for a few other scenes of the men in the bunker and their growing relationship, especially as it seems like there’s so much more to their lives that we could have heard. As such, I can really see this working well as a feature length production, so I hope that Games and Brookes are planning to do this at some point. But this is a very minor issue in what is otherwise a wonderful drama, and a film that is a remarkable achievement given the small budget used to make it (only £2,000!). The script, performances, and overall look of the whole thing is exceptional, while the score by Abbie Fairchild and Martin Pleass is incredibly moving, particularly the song used for the closing credits. The inclusion of the final interview was also a nice touch – a beautiful moment that humanises the real conflict, and which emphasises how many people sacrificed their lives during that time. With Games’s amazing eye for direction (as well as in his previous film Dandilicious (2021) which I reviewed here) and Brookes’s brilliant writing, here’s hoping that we see more from this talented pair, as The Black Rock is a compelling, accomplished film that I would happily watch again.

The Black Rock is scheduled for release on digital platforms soon.

Review by Mari Jones.