Tethered Review: Imperfect Indie Horror Falls Short, But Has Its Moments
Tethered is as basic of premise as one will come across, which is odd for a film with three writers credited to it. Jeff Cox (The Time Will Come), Michael Scott, and director Daniel Robinette (Nervous Breakdown) have done their due diligence in terms of world-building, and as a result, the film looks better than its budget. However, the cracks begin to show in the editing and in certain aspects of the script. Tethered has a well-conceived premise and the film achieves what it sets out to accomplish, but ultimately falls short of greatness.
Solomon (Jared Laufree) is blind and lives in the woods with his mom (Alexandra Paul). A mysterious beast on the outskirts of the property keeps them from venturing too far into the outside world. The rules are simple: First, give back to the land. Half of any animal they kill for food is thrown into the trees where the beast prowls; second, sing «our song.» Alone in the woods, their only comfort is a song they sing together; and finally, never let go of the rope. Solomon is tied to a seemingly endless rope that connects him to the house. When Alexandra dies it's these rules that keep him alive as a blind teenager living in the woods. Years later he meets the first human being who isn’t his parents, Hank (Kareem Ferguson), a hunter who stumbles across the property while shooting deer. Solomon doesn’t so much like Hank, but he recognizes his usefulness and accepts his own limitations. When Hank hears the monster, he challenges Solomon to face his fear or never leave his secluded home.
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“Hello Solomon, it's nice to meet you. Please don’t stab me.” Hank enters with some much-needed inertia as the film starts to
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