A stranger takes a family hostage, then makes a mysterious demand. | The Stranger

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The Stranger is used with permission from Dan Burks. Learn more at https://thestrangertheshort.com.

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Sam has built a wonderful life for himself. He owns a feed store in a small town, and he has a loving wife and daughter. But all of that is threatened when a stranger enters his store one night, just before closing, and takes them as hostages.

The stranger doesn't want money, however. He wants Sam to answer one question. "Tell me who I am," he asks Sam. And Sam must answer correctly, or else lose everything -- including his own life.

Directed and written by Dan Burks, this taut, suspenseful thriller-drama is essentially a stand-off scene, as two men face off in a tense psychological confrontation. The film has a visual style that reflects both adversaries: it's dark and shadowy as the stranger that enters Sam's shop, but warm and earthy like the life that Sam is trying to protect. But as the narrative unfolds, it unravels the layers of intention and identity, complicating what appears to be a simple, straightforward dichotomy of good vs. bad.

For the most part, the storytelling limits its scope to one location and one evening, grabbing our attention in true thriller style with the stranger's seemingly crazy demand for Sam to tell him who he is, backed up with a pointed gun. Immediately the stakes are high and clear, and the tension never slackens, driven by Sam's need to figure out how he might know this stranger. In doing so, he reveals both the hard work and care he puts into his life as a small-town father, husband and business owner. But as pressure mounts, he also drops a few secrets of his own in the presence of his frightened wife and child. It's a testament to the film's power that these revelations seem small-scale in comparison to what comes next.

As the excellent dialogue continues, Sam and the stranger continue in a game of cat-and-mouse as Sam slowly pieces together just who the stranger is, unfurling a rich, intriguing story within the story and revealing itself as a masterful study of character and the darker corners of human nature. Actors James Tupper and P.J. Sosko face off against one another in a battle of wills, Tupper evincing a natural likability and Sosko portraying a man beaten down by life, time and circumstance. When Sam finally realizes who the stranger is, we have a fuller, richer understanding of who Sam and his counterpart are -- and how their fates have intertwined, even now.

"The Stranger" is a prime example of a thriller film whose compelling power and surprise derive from its richness and depth of character and performance. Its compact storytelling scope in no way curtails the resonance of the narrative's thought-provoking themes, asking questions about just what identity is and how it is formed, and how the past shapes the present, even when we do our best to leave it all behind. With tremendous depths of character and a level of emotional engagement even in the most suspenseful moments, we feel the ache of a life unlived, even as we deeply understand just how far someone will go to protect it.

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A stranger takes a family hostage, then makes a mysterious demand. | The Stranger
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