That elevated heart rate is especially fitting given that the word \u201carrhythmia\u201d and its definition appear in the first five minutes of Run<\/em>. \u201cHemochromatosis,\u201d \u201casthma,\u201d \u201cdiabetes,\u201d and \u201cparalysis\u201d follow in succession, along with helpful medical explanations for those who stopped watching Grey\u2019s Anatomy <\/em>when Izzie had sex with Denny\u2019s ghost. Teenaged Chloe Sherman (Kiera Allen, in a should-be-breakout role) begins her day by hoisting herself into her wheelchair, spitting phlegm into a toilet, massaging a prescription cream into angry skin, and swallowing endless pills. She is homeschooled by her devoted mother, Diane (Sarah Paulson), and the two live an isolated but charming life in rural Washington. They display an enviable closeness without the usual friction that accompanies mother-daughter interactions in late adolescence, even while Chloe eagerly awaits her acceptance letter from the University of Washington for college next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, idealized relationships contain little dramatic tension \u2014 and Run<\/em> is nothing if not tense. Soon Chloe discovers that her beloved mom may not be acting with her daughter\u2019s best interests at heart. The signature protective instinct grows sinister, with Chloe\u2019s condition leaving her at her mother\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For his sophomore film after 2018\u2019s Searching<\/em>, writer-director Aneesh Chaganty returns to the theme of familial relationships and what happens when a parent\u2019s love mutates into something dangerous. Collaborating again with Sev Ohanian on the screenplay, Chaganty\u2019s latest isn\u2019t as formally playful as their last film, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in its effectiveness. Even if you\u2019ve seen Hulu\u2019s The Act<\/em> series or know other stories of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, Run<\/em> is still an absolute nightmare about the cruelty of people who are supposed to be caregivers. It\u2019s a lean 90 minutes, and you want the experience to be over in the best of ways: it\u2019s almost too intense at points, and you need to take a breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chaganty deserves credit for keeping the film and its audience so tightly wound, but the leads are both wonders. Paulson is well cast, displaying the broad range that has made her a favorite of Ryan Murphy and fans alike, though Run<\/em> feels far more grounded than most Murphy fare. We trust every minute of her performance here, even as we don\u2019t want to believe what her character is capable of. Meanwhile, this is Allen\u2019s feature film debut, and she rises to a role that is both physically and emotionally demanding. Allen is in a wheelchair off-screen as well, and Chloe is a strong, resourceful heroine who challenges how people with disabilities are often depicted on screen. Chloe\u2019s state and seeming inability to flee put her in even more danger than the average horror movie protagonist, but Run<\/em> avoids exploitation in its depiction of her plight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The final moments of Run<\/em> feel slightly out of step with the bulk of the film, but they don\u2019t undercut how terrifying and satisfying the thriller is overall. Chaganty\u2019s movie does exactly what it intends to, drawing the audience in and ensuring that they care deeply about Chloe. Your pounding heart might tell you to try to escape for the sake of your health, but there\u2019s no way you\u2019ll stop watching, even if you technically could end the anxiety by simply pressing a button. “Run” is streaming Friday on Hulu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/run2-1024x683.jpg\")
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