In the social media world of today…when nothing is considered taboo, and people would rather video a crime happening instead of stopping said crime, we are introduced to a film by Christian Nilsson. Dashcam is one hell of a great thriller where a video editor learns the truth behind a double murder.
Plot
Dashcam is written, directed and produced by Christian Nilsson. This is his first full length feature after already having a number one short film called Unsubscribe, which was available on Vimeo. Dashcam stars Eric Tabach, Giorgia Whigham, Zachary Booth, Giullian Yao Gioiello, Noa Fisher, and Larry Fessenden. The film begins with a video call between a network journalist, Tim (Zachary Booth) and Jake (Erick Tabach).
Tim tells Jake that the police are sending a dashcam video that shows a shooting between a police officer and a former Attorney General. Jake’s job is to clean up the video and send it to Tim to be aired on national TV. According to police records, former Attorney General Lieberman (Larry Fessender) died in a shoot out with the officer. Both are dead, so the only witness to the shooting is the dashcam from the officer’s car.
While the original video sent to Jake supports what the police are telling the public, Jake receives a second video which contradicts the first. Why was Lieberman stopped by the police? The second video reveals the message that the police officer received from dispatch. The officer was told to be on the look out for Lieberman’s car. On the second video, Lieberman is complying with the officer’s demands, but then we hear six shots. The autopsy report, which is also included in the second video, shows a discrepancy between what Jake is viewing and the official police report.
While Jake is working on the video, his girlfriend Rachel (Noa Fisher) invites Jake to a Halloween party at Gareth’s (Giullian Gioiello) house. Jake promises to go, even though he hasn’t left the security of his apartment for a while due to the Covid pandemic.
After Jake receives a mysterious call telling him to delete the second video, Jake discovers more information that proves the police are lying. Lieberman has documents that are a political bomb against the Governor…but Jake can’t break the code that Lieberman uses to tell the whereabouts of the documents. Jake has a choice to make…go with the first video and hand that to Tim or go with the second video and Jake himself would break the news to the world. With his girlfriend’s knowledge of elfin language, Jake leaves the safety of his apartment to find the documents at a local park.
Conclusion
I am truly tech challenged, but I was able to follow the storyline, even though the film’s story is mostly seen from Jake’s computer screen. The tension rises as we watch how Jake is able to get to the truth hidden within both videos. Jake freaks out when he discovers that he is also under surveillance.
Dashcam worked for me, and as I said, this is a thriller. Eric Tabach’s character is a sympathetic person that we can easily identify with. Even though the film centers around him and his computer screen, Tabach’s acting makes this film a joy to watch…even though I did not expect the ending.
Dashcam is a film that mirrors what is happening in the real world. In a world of real-life government coverups and corruption, it has been the bodycams and the dashcams that have forced us to take a good look at police corruption. In fact, thanks to a smart young lady, Darnella Frazier, who had the wit to use her cell phone, the world learned what really happened to George Floyd. This is a new world that we live in where security cameras are on every street corner, every house, and every dashboard …but although this science is an intrusion on our privacy, if a video will expose the evilness of mankind…I am all for it.
Dashcam was released by Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight on October 19, 2021. Watch it!
