Caged (2020 film)

Last updated
Caged
Caged (2020 film) Official release poster.png
Official release poster
Directed byAaron Fjellman
Written by
  • Aaron Fjellman
  • James ‘Doc’ Mason
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJessica Young
Music byCj Johnson
Production
companies
  • Panic House Productions
  • Shifty Eye Productions (in association with)
Distributed by Shout! Factory
Release dates
  • March 14, 2020 (2020-03-14)(Pasadena International Film Festival)
  • January 26, 2021 (2021-01-26)(United States)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Caged is a 2020 American drama film directed by Aaron Fjellman and starring Edi Gathegi, Melora Hardin, Angela Sarafyan and Tony Amendola. Fjellman co-wrote the screenplay with James 'Doc' Mason. The film was produced by Pete Kirtley, Aaron Fjellman, Matthew Temple and Jessa Zarubica.

Contents

Plot

An affluent African American psychiatrist is sent to federal prison after being found guilty of murdering his wife, and is then transferred to solitary confinement in the Security Housing Unit – (the SHU).

Despite maintaining his innocence, he finds himself a victim of prisoner abuse and, isolated and fighting for an appeal, slowly descends towards madness, pushed to breaking point by an abusive female guard hell bent on dispensing her own form of justice.

Increasingly haunted by internal demons and hallucinations involving his dead wife, he begins to question his own innocence and sanity, making his time in the SHU a never-ending nightmare.

Cast

Filming and production

Filming, under its working title of The SHU, commenced in October 2016. Principal photography took place at Remmet Studios, in Canoga Park, Los Angeles with exterior filming at Long Beach Shoreline Marina, Palmdale and Anaheim, California. Post-production video and audio editing was carried out in Los Angeles and at Pinewood Studios in Iver. [1]

Release and critical reception

The film had its world premiere at the Pasadena International Film Festival in 2020 and was nominated for Best Feature Film, with Aaron Fjellman winning the Best Director award. [2] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the film was not released until 2021 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other territories. [3] [4]

It received mixed reviews but Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 72% based on 18 reviews with an average rating of 6.1/10. [5]

Related Research Articles

Amanda Detmer is an American actress. She made her big screen debut playing Miss Minneapolis in 1999 comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous, and later had a supporting role in Final Destination.

<i>Reckless Kelly</i> 1993 Australian film

Reckless Kelly is a 1993 Australian comedy film produced, written, directed and starring Yahoo Serious. It co-stars Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle and Hugo Weaving. The story is a satirical take on a modern-day Ned Kelly, a famous Australian outlaw.

<i>Caged Heat</i> 1974 film by Jonathan Demme

Caged Heat is a 1974 women in prison film. It was written and directed by Jonathan Demme for New World Pictures, headed by Roger Corman. The film stars Juanita Brown, Roberta Collins, Erica Gavin, Ella Reid, Rainbeaux Smith, and Barbara Steele. John Cale wrote and performed its soundtrack music, which features the guitar playing of Mike Bloomfield.

<i>The Ice Harvest</i> 2005 American film

The Ice Harvest is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Richard Russo and Robert Benton, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Scott Phillips and starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Connie Nielsen, with Randy Quaid and Oliver Platt in supporting roles. It was distributed by Focus Features, and it was released on VHS and DVD on February 28, 2006, making it the last Focus Features film released on VHS format. The Ice Harvest grossed $10.2 million worldwide.

<i>Matchstick Men</i> 2003 film by Ridley Scott

Matchstick Men is a 2003 black comedy crime film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Eric Garcia's 2002 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman. The film premiered on September 2, 2003 at the 60th Venice International Film Festival and was released in the United States on September 12, 2003. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $65 million against its $62 million budget.

<i>Fled</i> 1996 film directed by Kevin Hooks

Fled is a 1996 American buddy action comedy film directed by Kevin Hooks. It stars Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin as two prisoners chained together who flee during an escape attempt gone bad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Sarafyan</span> Armenian-American actress

Angela Sarafyan, sometimes credited as Angela Sarafian, is an Armenian-American actress. She has appeared as a guest star in several television series and has acted in the feature films: Kabluey (2007), On the Doll (2007), A Beautiful Life (2008), The Informers (2008), A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011), Lost & Found in Armenia (2012), and Reminiscence (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Kirtley</span> Musical artist

Peter Edward Kirtley is an English songwriter, record producer and music entrepreneur. He has produced over 200 records worldwide with sales exceeding 15 million and 100 million streams, including seven number-one hit singles worldwide, tracks on seven number-one albums, eight UK top-ten hits and thirty-five top-forty hits in Europe. He has written and/or produced for artists such as Tiësto, the Sugababes, Armin Van Buuren, Hear'Say, Newton Faulkner, Mutya Buena, Boyzone, Peter Andre, Lee Ryan, Heather Small, Kim Wilde and Alexander O'Neal. His production collaborations include Ryan Tedder, Guy Chambers and Stargate and metaverse music collaborations include Izzy Bizu and Nina Nesbitt.

<i>Felon</i> (film) 2008 film directed by Ric Roman Waugh

Felon is a 2008 American prison film written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh. The film stars Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer and Harold Perrineau. The film tells the story of the family man who ends up in state prison after he kills an intruder. The story is based on events that took place in the 1990s at the notorious California State Prison, Corcoran. The film was released in the United States on July 18, 2008.

Matthew C. Temple is an American filmmaker, writer and creative coach. While still in college in Vermont, he produced his first film, Senses of Place, which went on to win a Silver Remi award from World Fest Houston, a nomination for Best Independent Film at the Ohio Independent Film Festival, and later picked up for distribution by FilmBuff.

<i>1915</i> (film) 2015 film by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian

1915 is a 2015 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian. The film stars Simon Abkarian, Angela Sarafyan, Nikolai Kinski, Debra Christofferson, Jim Piddock, and Samuel Page. It follows a mysterious director staging a play to bring the ghosts of a forgotten tragedy back to life on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

<i>StartUp</i> (TV series) American TV Series

StartUp is an American crime drama television series created by Ben Ketai that premiered on September 6, 2016 on Crackle. It stars Adam Brody, Martin Freeman, Edi Gathegi, Otmara Marrero, Ron Perlman, Mira Sorvino, and Addison Timlin. On November 15, 2017, it was renewed for a third season which was released on November 1, 2018. The show was not renewed for a fourth season.

Halfway is a 2016 American drama film written and directed by Ben Caird and starring Quinton Aaron. The film is Caird's directorial debut and Aaron served as an executive producer. On November 1, 2017, 'Halfway' was nominated for a British Independent Film Award in the Discovery Award category.

<i>Escape Plan 2: Hades</i> 2018 film by Steven C. Miller

Escape Plan 2: Hades is a 2018 American direct-to-video prison action thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller. It is the sequel to the 2013 film Escape Plan, and the second installment in the Escape Plan film series. It stars Sylvester Stallone and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson reprising their roles from the first film, with Dave Bautista, Huang Xiaoming, Jaime King, Jesse Metcalfe, Titus Welliver, and Wes Chatham joining the cast. Escape Plan 2: Hades was released straight-to-DVD in the United States but received theatrical releases in such countries as Russia on June 28, 2018, and in China on June 29, 2018. The film received negative reviews from critics; it grossed $17.6 million in some theaters and $4.2 million in domestic home market against a production budget of $20 million.

<i>Acts of Violence</i> 2018 film by Brett Donowho

Acts of Violence is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by Brett Donowho, starring Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes, Melissa Bolona, Sophia Bush, and Mike Epps. It was written by Nicolas Aaron Mezzanatto.

<i>Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile</i> 2019 film by Joe Berlinger

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a 2019 American biographical crime drama film about the life of serial killer Ted Bundy. Directed by Joe Berlinger with a screenplay from Michael Werwie, the film is based on Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall's memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. The film stars Zac Efron as Bundy, Lily Collins as Kendall, Kaya Scodelario as Bundy's wife Carole Ann Boone, and John Malkovich as Edward Cowart, the presiding judge at Bundy's trial. The title of the film is a reference to Cowart's remarks on Bundy's murders while sentencing him to death.

<i>The Last Thing He Wanted</i> (film) 2020 film

The Last Thing He Wanted is a 2020 political thriller film directed by Dee Rees, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Joan Didion, from a screenplay by Rees and Marco Villalobos. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Edi Gathegi, Mel Rodriguez, Toby Jones, and Willem Dafoe.

<i>Pimp</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Pimp is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Christine Crokos and starring Keke Palmer. Lee Daniels served as an executive producer.

<i>Princess of the Row</i> 2019 American independent drama film

Princess of the Row is a 2019 American independent drama film directed by Max Carlson, written by A. Shawn Austin and Max Carlson, produced by A. Shawn Austin, produced by Edi Gathegi, and starring Edi Gathegi, Tayler Buck, Ana Ortiz, Jacob Vargas and Martin Sheen. Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary served as executive producers of the film.

<i>You Are Not My Mother</i> 2021 film by Kate Dolan

You Are Not My Mother is a 2021 Irish psychological horror film written and directed by Kate Dolan. The film stars Hazel Doupe as Char, a young woman at odds with her grandmother Rita after her mother Angela briefly goes missing, only to return soon afterward with a radically changed personality.

References

  1. "Listen Notes interview with Aaron Fjellman" . Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  2. "PIFF 2020 Nominees and Winners". Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  3. "DEADLINE". Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  4. "insidepulse". Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  5. "Caged". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved October 30, 2021.