Curfew is a 2013 film written by, directed by, and starring Shawn Christensen.
Richie (Christensen) is a despondent young man who, as the film opens, has sliced his wrist in a bathtub. There is already a fair amount of blood when his estranged sister Maggie calls. Maggie makes quite clear that she is loath to call Richie, but that evening she is in desperate need of a sitter to watch over her daughter, Sophia. Richie manages to bind up the wound on his wrist and makes it over to pick up his niece, a 4th grader. They begin to form a bond.
Later adapted by Christensen into a feature film, Before I Disappear.
Tropes:
- Bath Suicide: Richie has already started his when the phone rings; there's already enough blood in the water to turn it pink.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Richie gets extremely annoyed when two loud women are having a loud argument outside a restroom that Sophia is using. Eventually he starts screaming at them.Richie: Shut up! SHUT UP! Shut your fat cow mouth!
- Book Ends: Two Interrupted Suicides, at the beginning when Richie has already cut his wrists before getting the phone call from Maggie, and at the end when he's back in his bathtub (still full of pink water) and she calls again.
- Domestic Abuse: The Reveal about Maggie's disordered life comes when Richie takes Sophia back home. Maggie has a black eye, and there is a restraining order on the coffee table.
- Drugs Are Bad: Richie has a generally strung-out look and seems to be trying to kick a drug habit. He says he takes drugs when Sophia notes how bad he looks. At one point he takes her to what looks like a heroin den and it looks like he's going to do something very bad—but he's only going there to retrieve the cartoons he drew as a child.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Richie nearly killed himself, and it's revealed that Maggie has suffered from an abusive partner. But the ending of the film has her make a more heartfelt call to Richie asking him to come over and look after Sophia more often.
- Extremely Short Timespan: A single evening as Richie serves as an emergency babysitter.
- Interrupted Suicide: Maggie calls at the last possible moment, if all the blood in the water is any indication. Then he's about to do it again at the end when the phone rings a second time, again with his sister on the line.
- Jump Cut: A couple of these are used to reinforce Richie's growing irritation while two loud mouthed women yack outside the restroom that Sophia is using. Eventually he lets loose with a Big "SHUT UP!".
- Orbital Shot: Used for Richie as he goggles in amazement at everyone else dancing at the bowling alley.
- Spontaneous Choreography: Sophia starts dancing to her favorite pop song when it plays at the bowling alley. Everyone else in the bowling alley starts dancing to the beat in a choreographed routine, much to Richie's astonishment. It turns out to be an Imagine Spot.
