Hostages (2025)

Director: Jim Owen

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Certification: 15

Starring: Charlotte Ritchie, Tanya Moodie, Nicholas Asbury, Raj Ghatak, Luke McQueen, Nick Helm

For his feature debut, writer/director Jim Owen opens Hostages with a sight that will be familiar to viewers; people constantly on their phones. Included among them is Charlie (Charlotte Ritchie), an influencer whose content consists of her selfies attached to bog-standard inspirational quotes. Whatever peace was attained during this period is shattered courtesy of a hotel-set explosion, leaving people to evacuate.

This does not stop the evacuating people from using their phones, including photographing a one-legged man in need instead of helping. Charlie finds herself with a group of panicking strangers, who find themselves hiding out within a hotel room before they are contacted by a hostage negotiator (Nick Helm). Those in the room are warned to keep their location a secret so that whoever caused the explosion is not alerted.

Despite these warnings, Charlie uses this opportunity to make numerous posts promoting herself within the middle of this situation. Ignoring the forewarned risks leaves her to receive love from her followers, something that appears to be her only way of communicating whilst her family ignores her. While the situation appears to be a nightmare, it allows Charlie a taste of popularity and feeling wanted, feelings that she becomes intent on holding onto no matter what.

Within the group inhabiting the room is Keith (Nicholas Asbury), a man trying to prove his usefulness in a constant struggle to regain control of his life, while hovering around outside is a hapless but well-meaning security guard (Luke McQueen). Credit is deserved to the cast, as they effectively sell their roles of people who lack connection, but wish to find it in whatever way possible.

The intent is clear, as this film wishes to offer a fresh take on the 24-hour news cycle, yet that is not reflected in the execution. Brought to screen instead is a lacklustre poking at social media which feels as fresh as milk left on the side weeks past its expiry date. None of what this film says would feel revelatory or surprising in 2012, so watching it today feels like somebody blew the cobwebs off a long-forgotten script.

While Owen takes a comedic approach to this scenario, the issue becomes how lacking in laughs it ends up being. The sad thing is how a darker take on this material could work, particularly if it offers more bite to the satire, yet the end result is unfortunately too toothless to leave a mark. What remains is a tale about people wishing to be remembered only to end up as another fleeting moment in a news cycle, barely seen as people scroll through social media. Similarly, Hostages holds little impact, and its may end up being another film passed by on an algorithmic streaming service.

Hostages is available to rent now