Borderline Review
2025 seems to be the year that stan culture is crossing over into scripts, between Opus (Ayo Edebiri) and the Anne Hathaway-led Mother Mary: director Jimmy Warden’s debut feature Borderline boasts an equally stacked lineup, recruiting Samara Weaving and Ray Nicholson for a twisted tale.
Nicholson plays Ray, an obsessed fan of Weaving’s pop star character Sofia, who intends to stop at nothing to marry her. Despite Weaving and Nicholson being modern horror icons, Borderline never fully allows them to show off the full extent of their talents. In general, something just seemed to be missing from this. It doesn’t offer viewers much explanation of the origins of Ray’s obsession with the Madonna-inspired musician. Her security guard is already familiar to him when he turns up at her house one night.
As for Dane, who plays Sofia’s bodyguard named William, he seems invincible — even if he makes silly mistakes. The film suffers from several time jumps. Ray roams around Sofia’s mansion, enjoying all the luxuries in a Saltburn style without her being there. Things then jump to six months later, but it’s unclear what occurred with William or what prompted Ray to leave.
The only clear thing is that, at some point, he ended up in a psychiatric hospital and has now escaped. Ray carries out his master plan alongside Penny (Alba Baptista) — a quirky character who seems confused about whether she wants to help or harm Sofia. Her youthful demeanor makes her somehow scarier throughout the film, making it no surprise that she participates in some peak fight scenes.
However, if you’re expecting a vicious horror flick that spares no souls, this isn’t the case with Borderline. The suspense rests in Sofia waiting to see when, not if, Ray will show up at her house again during William’s absence. Any momentum that builds is halted by comedic breaks, including many of Ray’s one-liners (“No, I put a pastor in a box. We’re Protestant.”) and a random sequence where Penny and Sofia sing together. And, without spoiling the ending, it does put a hilarious spin on Ray’s psyche when it comes to marrying Sofia.
Even with the time and mood shifts, Borderline remains an enjoyable and breezy watch that feels right in place with other recent comedic horror releases, including Companion — proving that not everything needs to give outlandish gore.
★★★ 1/2
In US cinemas and on digital March 14th / Samara Weaving, Ray Nicholson, Jimmie Falls, Eric Dane, Alba Baptista / Dir: Jimmy Warden / Magnet Releasing / R
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