There is a pervasive sadness throughout much of writer/director Luke Tedder's indie drama The Caretaker, a quietly mesmerizing character-driven drama centered around Ben Probert's Eddie, a mute young man who has spent much of his life providing care for his relentlessly cruel and ailing mother. When she finally passes, the uneducated and relatively unskilled Eddie is left with few options as he faces the loss of his home. Provided the opportunity to become, you guessed it, the caretaker at the acristocratic Lockbridge Academy, Eddie meets a cleaner named Marie (Mackenzie Larsen) and sees the course of his life trajectory change as he begins to unravel the sinister mysteries and secrets contained within the Lockbridge walls. 

There's something about UK cinema that always seems to have more cinematic integrity, and this is very much true here as Tedder tells a meaningful story well and without compromise to the shadow aspects of life and who we are. This slow-burn psychological thriller had its world premiere at FrightFest before its current streaming release. 

Probert is compelling and beyond as Eddie, whose childhood trauma has left him barely a shell of a human being. We're instantly not fond of Lockbridge's elder and longtime headmaster Charles Aberdeen 2nd (PG Pearson) nor his waiting in the wings smarmy ass son Charles 3rd (Scott Hume). We think we might get a bit of a break with Charles 2nd's wayward daughter, Lisa (Lauren Shotton), but truthfully there's barely a winning human being here. It's Marie that casts the most light, though trapped in this foreboding place where mysteries amplify including why Eddie's predecessor drowned himself in the Lockbridge pool and what exactly happened to final-year art student Holly Mansford (Livvy Dawson). 

It's unsurprising, I suppose, that much of The Caretaker centers around these mysteries. The Aberdeens make for privileged, dastardly humans who seem to hire only those who really need them. Watching Probert's mastery of Eddie is quite the joy, particularly in a film with very little joy to be found. There's a quiet chemistry between Eddie and Marie brought to life in ways that reminded me at times of that old Christian Slater flick Untamed Heart. The Caretaker is one of those difficult to define films, a bit of a shame as it deserved more than its current streaming release. One can only hope that audiences find it to give it the audience it should have. .

The ensemble is impressively strong as is Tedder's own lensing for the film. I had to chuckle a bit as you can always tell when a film is a low-budget indie by how many of the cast members show up in different production roles. Probert himself, while giving a masterful performance, also shows up in credits as an executive producer, set decorator, first assistant director, art department, sound department, location manager, and props. 

Ah, I love indie cinema. 

The Caretaker is beautifully brought to life by an ensemble cast that gets it, Mackenzie Larsen rather dazzles as well, and via Tedder's effective storytelling and slow-burning build-ups. Integrity's the thing here. These characters, no matter how much we grow to love them, go through quite a lot as Tedder's storytelling is uncompromising and power-packed. This is an indie film worth checking out. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic