Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Lonely, unstable gas station attendant Melinda is tired of being overshadowed by her more confident, outgoing co-worker Sheila. When the gas station is held up at gunpoint by Billy, a desperate man in need of quick cash, Melinda finds an opportunity to make a connection with the robber, regardless of who gets hurt.
Burn (2019) is a tightly wound single-location thriller anchored by Tilda Cobham-Hervey's unsettling performance as Melinda. The plot is lean and effective, using a gas station robbery as a pressure cooker to explore loneliness and manipulation in an interesting way, though it doesn't quite sustain momentum through to a satisfying resolution. Acting is solid overall, with Cobham-Hervey delivering a genuinely compelling turn while Suki Waterhouse is serviceable. Cinematography is functional but unremarkable — the confined setting is used adequately without any particular visual flair. The film earns some novelty points for its character-driven angle on a robbery scenario and its focus on psychological instability, though the premise isn't wholly original. The ending feels abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying, undercutting the tension built throughout.