Written and directed by Jason Buxton, “Sharp Corner” (2024) is a slow-burn thriller that shows Ben Foster as a man going through a midlife crisis. Based on Russell Wangersky’s short story, the film presents a rather familiar narrative since we have seen plenty of projects about a man breaking bad in some shape or form. What strikes out the most in Buxton’s film is Foster’s elaborate performance, which makes you sense his slightest emotion to the point you can almost feel his dread crawling down your skin. While it is empathetic, it is also self-aware. So, it becomes an acute portrait of this self-pitying man as it occasionally veers into darkly comedic territory.
Spoilers Ahead
Sharp Corner (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Sharp Corner” follows a married man getting increasingly paranoid by the constant accidents on the corner in front of his new home, which gets him farther and farther from his family.
What happens in Ben Foster’s Sharp Corner?
“Sharp Corner” shows Rachel Davis-McCall (Cobie Smulders) moving into a new home with her husband Josh (Ben Foster) and their son Max (William Kosovic). It falls on the outskirts and offers them more space and peace than they were used to. So, it feels like a perfect change of pace. However, that suddenly changes once they move into this house. After Max goes to sleep, Rachel and Josh have sex in the other room. Out of nowhere, a car crashes into a tree right on their front lawn and breaks their window. So, Josh stays on the edge throughout his next day at work.
There’s another reason he finds it difficult to adjust at work. Erickson (Gavin Drea), who once worked under him, is now his boss. Josh could have received that promotion, but he didn’t try hard enough. He believes that Erickson got promoted because of bootlicking, which he stands staunchly against. However, he doesn’t put much effort into his life to prove that he is worthy of that position either. Even after the accident on the front lawn, he remains detached from his work and doesn’t put in the effort that he is expected to at his seniority level.
What causes all the accidents outside Josh’s house?
The day after the accident, Max starts playing with his toys on the outside lawn. Rachel gets worried since that’s the same place where the car crashed and took the teen driver’s life. Josh, however, doesn’t seem worried about Max’s safety. Instead, he fears that the house he purchased specifically for them to have a quieter space won’t be used by Max. He wants Max to feel the joy he once hoped they would. So, he talks about his potential PTSD signs while he should be concerned about his pre-teen kid’s post-traumatic anxieties.
Soon after, a memorial cross is put outside Josh’s house for the deceased teen. Josh observes the teen’s parents paying respects. Once they leave, he checks on what might have caused the accident. He notices a road sign partially hidden behind the leaves. It might have been the reason behind the accident. However, he doesn’t clear the sign right away. Instead, he looks into the victim’s history while he should be focusing on his work. Later, during a dinner with their friends, he shares gruesome details about the accident.
Josh keeps talking about the teen’s history and how he was robbed of a bright future, less because he is concerned about the poor kid, but rather because he wants to change the topic of discussion. Before that, the guests asked him why he didn’t get a promotion. Rachel points out that Josh is unambitious. Then, their friend talks about his superior lifestyle, thanks to his years of bootlicking. While likely said in jest, Josh tries to prove he is morally superior by using his concern for the deceased teen. He uses that tragedy to get brownie points. When Rachel points that out, he doesn’t like it either.
Sharp Corner (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
After the dinner incident, Josh clears the leaves over the road sign, but it doesn’t stop another accident from happening. He finds the victim only after a car hits him and leaves. Josh witnesses the victim take his last breath before the cops arrive. Rachel worries about how it affects Max, but Josh is still self-absorbed. He attends the victim’s funeral and speaks with his daughter, pretending to be his old acquaintance instead of the first responder. Soon, he joins a class to learn CPR and purchases a mannequin to practice at home, unbeknownst to Rachel and Max. It shifts his focus away from work, which impacts his job.
Why does Rachel leave Josh?
Erickson briefs Josh to be more focused on his duties as a team leader. Back home, Max shows potential signs of PTSD. So, Rachel enrolls him in a Tae Kwon Do class to be more confident, without consulting Josh, who takes that personally. While driving Max back home, Josh stumbles upon another accident on their front lawn. He gets so caught up in the moment that he ignores Max, who could have easily been lost. Still, he isn’t the least bit worried about his lack of responsibility. When Rachel shares her concerns about Max, Josh deems them insignificant.
Rachel hopes Josh seeks therapy to speak openly about his troubles. However, instead of seeing it as a way to improve himself, he deems it a consequence of the recent accidents, not of his irresponsible behavior. He also ignores Rachel’s desire to move out of their new home, which starts feeling increasingly like a war zone. Around that time, he gets fired but hides that from Rachel. He also deters a couple from purchasing their house by telling them about the accidents. So, because of his consistent negligence about the well-being of anyone but himself, Rachel leaves him.
Why does Josh become obsessed with saving accident victims?
Rachel files for divorce, leaving Josh with no option but to sell their new house. Otherwise, he might not be able to see Max ever again. So, he desperately tries to sell it, hoping that it will help them reunite. However, even after selling the house and getting a place in the city, he doesn’t get what he wants. Rachel wants to decide what’s best for Max’s safety and security. That’s when Josh admits that he is losing control over the life he once considered to be secure. So, in a desperate attempt to reclaim his self-worth, he takes a dangerous step.
Josh cuts the road sign next to their house and ensures the road is wet enough for a car to skid over. He keeps a first aid kit handy, only waiting for an accident to happen. Mind you, he is sitting in an empty house with all his stuff packed inside a van. Well, his plan works, and he finds a car victim whom he can protect. He uses CPR to keep the victim alive till the paramedics arrive. Although weepy until then, he starts smiling after seeing her return to life. He feels proud that he saved this woman despite being responsible for her accident.
It replenishes his sense of self-worth after a string of incidents that made him feel worthless at work, family, and during the accidents. Unlike the past incidents where he couldn’t save the victims either because of being shell-shocked or being late on the crime scene, he could control the logistics of this situation. He could be there just in time to save her. However, the ending is not life-affirming but darkly comic because Josh’s obsession with saving accident victims is not rooted in his selflessness but in self-serving notions. He uses his apparent geniality as a shield to deflect from any blame or responsibilities.
Sharp Corner (2024) Movie Themes Analysed:
Masculinity, Midlife Crisis, and Savior Complex
“Sharp Corner” is about a sharp corner in a person’s life when they have to confront whether they have lived a life worth something. In Josh’s case, that is seldom about reflecting on what he has or hasn’t done. Instead, it’s about everything he believes he has been deprived of. So, through a portrait of his insecurities, the film becomes an investigation of masculinity. On the surface, Josh seems like a nice guy, but he uses that niceness almost like a guard for his moral or ethical superiority, conveniently sidestepping his duties as a father and a spouse.
Josh cares only about his emotions and ignores every single suggestion from Rachel, blaming her for her offensive personality. However, when she offers his support through counseling sessions, he disregards it. So, he is an emotionally immature man full of contradictions, but not in the oddly charming way that he assumes himself to be. He seeks help but rejects it even when offered. He wants attention but deflects when subjected to even a minor criticism about him. Besides, he wants to show that he cares about things, but only when it presents him as a noble hero.
Josh’s trainwreck is of his own making, even though he blames Rachel or their friends for it. If he cared about having a future with his family, he could have had it with or without that house. So, his refusal to leave that house is in itself about his self-pitying nature coming at odds with his savior complex.
