Written and Directed by Sean Perry
Starring Alexander Molina, Monette Moio, Paige Grimard
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Available digitally November 29

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Dash is writer/director (and producer, editor, cinematographer, and actor) Sean Perry’s contrived single-take film—shot entirely from the dashboard—of a ride share car driven by Milly (Alexander Molina). The concept is used to show how Milly experiences various misfortunes over the course of one very long and very bad night.

As the film opens, Milly is juggling his wife, Tara (Paige Grimard), aka “My Favorite Prostitute,” and his 8-months pregnant girlfriend, Emily (Monette Moio), aka “Potential Spam,” who do not know about each other. (Those clever monikers flash on the screen during various calls and texts). Milly is trying to find a way to tell his wife he is having another woman’s baby, and tell his mistress that he is married. He is also looking to get some fast cash to support his situation. His friend Kalli (Audra Alexander) provides him with some drugs to sell, which seems like a good way for Milly to make extra money from his passengers.

Dash unfolds a series of episodes that, like Milly’s night, start out bad and get worse; the film does too. There is an odor of vomit in the car that several passengers comment on. Three gay men, who are all in one relationship, go for a ride and play up queer stereotypes. (That one is wearing a silver headpiece doesn’t help.) Two friends on molly silently text each other about Milly’s appearance—e.g., sexy or serial killer—in an episode that is not very amusing. Even Brock (Perry), an obnoxious cop he picks up, is an endurance test, philosophizing about life and drinking until he pukes.

Things improve slightly when Jenny (Shah Granville) gets in the car and “prefers awkward silence” in part because the fast-talking Milly is quiet for a moment. But then Milly sells Jenny some drugs and she overdoses in his car. How Milly handles this situation strains some credibility, but so too does a moment where Milly literally shoots himself in the foot (metaphor anyone?).

Much of Dash has Milly juggling the demands of his wife and girlfriend who want non-carb food and rides to the hospital, whereas he just wants to talk. But all they really do is scream at one another, which makes for a very shrill third act.

Molina delivers a high-wired performance as the “frazzled” Milly, but he is more annoying than ingratiating. Unlike Locke, where the protagonist (Tom Hardy) handled a series of personal and professional crises during a single, compelling car ride, Dash is more tedious than suspenseful. Jenny’s body is stored in the trunk, so it is only a matter of time before she is discovered. Milly gets pulled over by the cops, but the episode lacks tension. Even when the truth comes out about Milly being the father of Tara’s baby, it feels underwhelming.

The single-take approach to the story also feels gimmicky, despite some nice reflections of Los Angeles neon in the windshield, or a few moments where the characters move in and out of the stopped vehicle. But most of Dash is as inert as the dash-cam. This film drives around all night, and sometimes in circles, revealing little new or engaging.