Threshold – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2020
Directors: Powell Robinson, Patrick Robert Young
Writer: Patrick Robert Young
Cast: Joey Millin, Nadine Sondej-Robinson, Daniel Abraham Stevens, John Terrell, Madison West

Release Date: July 5th, 2021 (UK), July 6th, 2021 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"When a phone call from out of the blue brings Leo (Joey Millin) back into contact with his sister, Virginia (Madison West), long estranged from her family due to years of drug abuse, he arrives to find her alone in a bare apartment in the midst of an apparent overdose. After the convulsions and nausea subside, Virginia insists to Leo that she has been clean for 8 months due to the help of a mysterious group. She confides to her cynical brother that her edginess and paranoia actually stem from a sinister ritual conducted by the group that took her in at her lowest and eventually revealed themselves to be a cult. This curse bound her emotions and physical sensations to a man she has never met before. With his marriage on the rocks, Leo has his own demons to face. Nonetheless, he is reluctantly persuaded by Virginia to embark on a cross-country road trip to track down this shadowy stranger under the caveat that if he's nowhere to be found and it's all in her head, she'll go to rehab. However, as their date with destiny draws nearer, Leo begins to suspect his sister's tall tale might have some substance."  - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The High Definition master was provided by the directors Powell Robinson and Patrick R. Young."

Threshold comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.3 GB

Feature: 20.3 GB

Though filmed with iphone’s, the result is a surprisingly strong transfer. Colors look correct, black levels and image clarity far exceed expectations.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. Though this is a dialog driven film, ambient moments and the score sound appropriately robust.

It should-be noted that Arrow Video posted this about the audio, “Unfortunately an audio issue has been identified on the Blu-ray release of Threshold. We will be implementing a replacement disc program to rectify the faults. The DVD and Digital releases remain unaffected.” That said, I did not notice any issues when I watched Threshold.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a limited-edition slipcover, an image gallery, a teaser trailer (37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a trailer (1 minute 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Threshold general outline script, an option to listen to composer Nick Chuba’s score via featurette titled The Sounds of Threshold (24 minutes 14 seconds, LPCM stereo), two roundtable discussions: Something from Nothing: Indie Genre Director Roundtable moderated by Scott Weinberg with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R Young (Threshold), Brandon Espy (We Follow You), James Byrkit (Coherence), Zach Donohue (The Den) and Elle Callahan (Witch Hunt) (61 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and The Power of Indie Horror - Acting for Unconventional Film moderated by Zena Dixon with the actors Madison West and Joey Millin (Threshold), Kelsey Griswold (Followed), Gabrielle Walsh and Ryan Shoos (44 minutes,  Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Elevating iPhone Footage: Color Correction Breakdown (2 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), a documentary titled Crossing the Threshold (88 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two audio commentaries’, the first audio commentary is with directors Powell Robinson & Patrick R. Young, producer Lauren Bates and actors Joey Millin and Madison West and the second audio commentary is with Powell Robinson & Patrick R Young, and editor William Ford-Conway and a twenty-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Ties That Bind: Cults, Drugs and Families in Threshold written by Anton Bitel, Director’s Statement and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Though Threshold uses elements from supernatural thrillers and the horror genre. It’s not a film that fits neatly into any genre. That said, anyone going into Threshold expecting a horror film will be greatly disappointed, since Threshold is best described as a melodrama with a few spooky moments.

Any given film only has a limited time to hook its prospective audience before they tune out. Now more than ever this has become a problem for films that take their time settling in, since modern audiences have short attention spans.

This brings us to Threshold, a film that does a great job laying a solid foundation that draws you into the world its building. Unfortunately, after a strong opening the narrative quickly devolves into a series of mundane moments where the two characters interact. That said, though the characters are fully fleshed out. There’s a lack of surprising moments which makes Threshold a long ride for a film that clocks in at seventy-eight minutes.

From a production standpoint, though the premise is full of possibilities, said execution of the premise could have been better. Fortunately, there are a few areas where Threshold comes out ahead. The two leads deliver strong performances and the visuals exceed expectations.

It's not surprising that Arrow Video are releasing more recently indepedant made films and loading them up with extra content, since many of the cult classics that they’re most known for were also once unknown films that over the years gained their audiences. That said, whether Threshold will achieve the status that Arrow Video’s most celebrated films have, only time will tell.

Arrow Video gives Threshold an exceptional release that comes with a wealth of extra content about the film and independent filmmaking.

Written by Michael Den Boer