Director Alex Thompson made great use of Chicago-area locations in “Saint Frances” (one of the best films of 2017) and again in last year’s moving family drama “Ghostlight.” In between those two productions, Thompson turned to Elmhurst among other locations for the brooding and unnervingly effective psychological body horror film “Rounding,” which is only now getting a commercial release and is just the ticket if you’re looking for a low-budget chiller with vibes of Stephen King and M. Night Shyamalan.
This is one of those movies where on a handful of occasions, you feel the urge to look away from the screen or at least squint a bit, because you know something truly (and wonderfully) dreadful is about to happen. But you’re not going to look away, because that’s the chilling fun of it.
Filmed in wintry tones by director Thompson (who co-wrote the script with his brother Christopher Thompson) and director of photography Nate Hurtsellers, and accompanied by an evocative score from Quinn Tsan and Macie Stewart, “Rounding” features a star-turn performance by Steppenwolf Theatre’s Namir Smallwood as a medical student named James Hayman. After James experiences a crushing, traumatic episode involving an assisted suicide attempt, he transfers to a rural hospital in the small (and fictional) town of Greenville in search of a fresh start. Under the mentorship of the wise Dr. Harrison (Michael Potts), James and his young colleagues make their rounds (hence that title of “Rounding”), reviewing each patient’s status and care plan — and in some cases, delivering the worst news possible.
Even as James strives to get along with his colleagues and connect with his patients, he’s struggling with the voices inside his head — and a bum foot that gets increasingly, horrifically worse. There’s also the possibility of demons lurking in the shadows, real monsters, though that might be all in his imagination as well. (The crisp editing and judicious use of shadows and light keep us guessing.)
James knows he’s in a fragile state of mind, but that doesn’t shake his unwavering belief that something is wrong with the diagnosis of 19-year-old Helen (Sidney Flanigan from “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), a frequent patient who has experienced a severe asthma attack. Helen’s overly protective mother Karen (Rebecca Spence) is adamant that Helen receive a risky lung transplant, but James begins to suspect Karen might be manipulating Helen’s condition. Could this be a case of Factitious Disorder (formerly known as Munchausen Syndrome) by proxy, a la “The Sixth Sense?”
Even with a running time of 90 minutes, “Rounding” has a few lulls and unnecessary detours. (A somewhat gimmicky device has Dr. Harrison sending James to attend an acting class to work on his people skills.) Still, we’re held in the grips of a dual mystery — one involving that psychologically damaging episode from James’ past, the other centering on Helen’s condition and whether she needs to be saved via surgery, or saved from her mother. There’s something absolutely visceral about depictions of stress levels in this story. Namir Smallwood is superb in his portrayal of James, who is either going to get it together or fall apart. Lives are in the balance.
Director Alex Thompson and actors Namir Smallwood will take audience questions after the 7 p.m. Saturday screening at the Music Box Theatre.