The Ruse: A Moody Mystery

Location, location, location. We’ve been told for years about how important location is when it comes to property and real estate. Finding your ideal home, as well as the ideal place in which that home resides, is crucial to your happiness. Or so they say. You know how they are. But, if there’s anything we’ve learned from movies and television, it’s that a beautiful locale is never quite what it seems. Such is the case with Stevan Mena’s newest mystery-thriller, The Ruse.

Twists and Turns in a Small Town

In a remote seaside town, across the bridge in a world of its own, Olivia’s (Veronica Cartwright) live-in caregiver had suddenly gone missing. No one has seen or heard a thing. Desperate, the agency calls in Dale (Madelyn Dundon), who’s been off the schedule recently for reasons yet-to-be-disclosed. Eager for work, she takes the job immediately, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend Ben (Drew Moerlein) who hates not having her around at night. When she arrives at the home, the locale is almost idyllic; you’d never guess anything happened here, and Dale certainly doesn’t. 

She gets to know Olivia, who has vascular dementia and a healthy dose of OCD (do not move the figurines on her nightstand), who’s occasionally visited by her unseen husband, Albert. It’s a small town, and the neighbors are helpful, including Tom (Michael Steger), his young daughter Penny (Nicola Jeanette Silber), and Jacob (T.C. Carter), the local delivery guy. Very quickly, Dale’s nights morph into harrowing, sleepless episodes that twist, turn, and go bump in the night. Who’s behind this? Is anything real?

A Moody Mystery

Aside from its lovely locale, being shot in Maine, the film benefits from the performances of its cast. Dundon gives Dale an earnest turn, desperate to redeem herself for past mistakes while trying to piece together what’s happening in the house. Cartwright is a delight as always, playing a former composer who spends her good days longing for those that have long past, and her bad days fearing what she – or Dale – can’t quite see. Moerlein isn’t given much to work with, though Ben sees himself as a spurned lover who resents the woman whom he’s known as a live-in caregiver. Steger and Carter also do well in their roles, and it’s always fun to see a young actor like Silber deliver lines in a mystery with conviction.

Where The Ruse shines is in its tone. Writer-director Stevan Mena confidently approaches the tense, mysterious scenes, aided by cinematographer Cory Geryak, and delivers the strongest moments of the film. The look of this film, in addition to its writing and reveals, lends itself to a Netflix or TV thriller that would be right at home next to an Agatha Christie mystery as you scroll, down to the final wrap-up monologue. Though the premise started out strong, and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, by the end it almost contorts upon itself in its convolution, with so many reveals that it becomes more contrived than clever, including a line near the end hinting at a character’s future that I don’t believe was previously discussed.

The Ruse: More of a Contrivance

To fall for The Ruse is to give twenty dollars to someone you’re pretty sure is ripping you off, but you’re happy to help in case they are being genuine. There are some twists and jumps that truly did surprise me, and the cast gives each role their all. Ultimately, however, it wouldn’t be enough to give this a rewatch. If you’re curious when it appears on the streaming service of your choice, give it a shot if the trailer grabs you.

The Ruse arrives in theaters on May 16th.