Jed Hart’s “Restless” is a psychological thriller rooted in a universal irritation that we all have experienced in one form or another in our lives: bad neighbors. The film milks its relatable and unsettling premise for all its tension in the first hour before unfortunately unraveling in the final act. Still, it’s a confident and often gripping debut that explores what sleep deprivation and loss of control can do to even the most mild-mannered among us.
Nicky (Lyndsey Marshal) is a caregiver and quiet woman whose already fragile peace is shattered when a group of loud young men, led by the obnoxious Deano (Aston McAuley), move into the house next door. At first, she tries to keep her cool with a polite knock, a friendly request, and a sincere hope that maybe the first riotous party was a one-off. But as the noise continues and as her sleepless nights pile up, her sanity begins to erode before reaching the point of no return.
Anyone who has dealt with inconsiderate neighbors will recognize Nicky’s frustration (even if most of us would never think of resorting to violence as a response). The film builds a growing sense of unease through sound design more than spectacle, with the thudding bass of late-night music, the shrieks of drunken laughter, and the maddening drip of a faucet at 3 a.m. (which may be the most irritating of all). Throughout the film, you can feel the noise eating away at her.
Hart cleverly keeps the story grounded for most of its runtime, and the slow deterioration of Nicky’s mental state is handled with nuance and empathy. There’s dark humor here too, from the quiet, bitterly funny observations about the absurdity of modern urban life to the realization of how little power we actually have over our own environment.
But as the story enters its second half, the film starts to lose that grip. What began as an incisive character study veers into an increasingly implausible power fantasy that simply doesn’t work. As Nicky’s actions become more extreme, the film stretches believability and trades subtlety for shock, making what should be a cathartic reckoning instead feel like narrative indulgence. The dark realism that made the first half so strong gives way to an over-the-top finale that doesn’t feel earned and worse, doesn’t satisfy.
It’s not just that the ending is underwhelming, it’s that Hart doesn’t quite seem to know how to resolve Nicky’s journey. Instead of landing with impact, the film just peters out.
There’s still a lot of good content in “Restless.” Despite some stumbles, it is a tightly observed, slow-burn thriller about the horrors hiding in everyday life.
