Faults – Review

As his meal comes to an end, Dr. Ansel Roth (Orser) tries to use a voucher for the food, given to him by the hotel he is staying in. Unfortunately, the voucher has already been used, by him, the prior night. He has no money to pay however, and still causes management trouble when asked to leave. Ansel is clearly struggling a bit, and as he heads to the hotel, he resets his presentation billboard near the conference room which features his book “Follower: Inside the Mind of the Controlled.” It says it is a bestseller.

His hotel is already wanting him to check out, as he was comped for the prior evening, but no longer, and after his afternoon talk, he should be moving on. Then it is presentation time, and Ansel explains about exploiting weaknesses and being molded and conformed by abusive forces.

When another human being makes decisions for you, your free will ceases to be, and you become a follower! However, there is escape from this imprisonment. Or so he says. This brings about a strange reaction from an audience member who claims Ansel has ruined lives. The confrontation does not end well, and so goes the speech.

After the disaster of a sales effort, an elderly couple (Ellis and Grant) comes up to ask him for help with their daughter Claire (Winstead) who is in trouble, and they just want back. Ansel is worn out and doesn’t care.

So starts an odd and interesting plot which is full of intriguing characters and motivations. As cult behavior takes center stage, the story shifts into a zone of mystery. Some very good acting players help make this small budget affair pop. It is both serious and silly at times, but balances most everything well. I liked a lot about it and it is well put together. The script is smart and there are good and devious story twists. I am sure the budget was minuscule, but the movie doesn't show it.