Take Me

Take Me, a bold and unconventional dark comedy, is a 2017 film directed by actor-turned-director Pat Healy, who himself is one of the lead protagonists in the movie. Also starring Taylor Schilling and Alycia Delmore in significant roles, this unique movie takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride of suspense, amusement, and wilful deception.

The movie unfolds around its lead character, Ray Moody (Pat Healy), a struggling entrepreneur, trying to make ends meet while trying to scale his offbeat startup - Kidnap Solutions. Under this unusual business model, Ray offers to implement customized simulated kidnappings for his clients who want a break from their routine life, or are attempting to deal with personal problems or even add an adrenaline rush to their mundane existence. Ridden with debt, Ray is desperate for his next client.

Taylor Schilling plays the roles of Anna St.Blair, an intriguingly quirky woman with a mysterious past, who signs up for Ray’s service. Anna is a high-powered business executive looking for an adrenaline fix, willing to pay handsomely for an extreme kidnapping experience. Ray’s economic troubles immediately dissolves once he secures Anna as his client. But soon Ray realizes the kidnap simulation game with Anna is not quite what he had envisioned.

Once Anna's scenario kicks off, the line between make-believe and reality becomes increasingly blurry, leaving Ray questioning himself while caught in his fabricated world of feigned abduction. This further steering him into numerous unexpected, outright comical, and a few unsettling instances makes the heart of the film.

At the same time, the movie cleverly blends aspects of a comedy thriller with a cat and mouse narrative. It’s intriguing to watch Ray, who is masterful in orchestrating fake kidnappings, grapple with a situation, which at its surface seems entirely part of his own design and orchestration, but swiftly spirals out of his control. Equally interesting is Anna, as Schilling gave a remarkable performance portraying a character that keeps the audience guessing her motives and mental state.

The relationship dynamics between Ray and Anna is a delightful tangled mess, with an oscillating power play that grows progressively more complex and unpredictable as the plot unfolds.

Alycia Delmore convincingly portrays the character of Ray's hapless sister, Abby Moody. As a concerned yet cynical onlooker, Abby begins to question Ray’s sanity and wonders whether his lust for quick money and success has pushed him over the edge causing him to actually kidnap Anna rather than his signature simulated kidnapping venture.

Healy also manages to subtly weave thought-provoking themes like life's absurdities and mid-life crisis into the plot without taking away the fun and banter. The movie satirically portrays the modern trend of extreme experiences and therapeutic escapes, taking it to a whole new level. The comic twist to the story underlines the proverbial saying, "Be careful what you wish for".

Take Me is set against a normal suburban backdrop, yet its narrative is anything but ordinary. The whole cast and crew of the film manage to bind the movie’s premise together masterfully. The pacing of the film is adeptly maintained steadily throughout the movie, preventing the audience from losing interest, and the suspense carried on in the plot, right until the end, keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

With a wickedly funny script from Mike Makowsky, spectacular performances by Pat Healy and Taylor Schilling, and non-trivial storyline, Take Me hooks its audience from the start. It provides an entertaining blend of suspense, situational comedy, and psychological mind-twisters. While it certainly isn’t a film for every audience, fans of unconventional cinema, and those with a penchant for eccentric thrillers, will immensely enjoy this roller-coaster ride. Simultaneously funny, confusing, and unsettling, Take Me is an impressive directorial debut for Pat Healy. It's compelling to watch how reality distorts in the world of make-believe in this intriguing film.