Not too long ago, a handful of films about cults were released within the span of about a year. Martha Marcy May Marlene, Sound of My Voice, The East, and The Master were four of the biggest, and though these films all dealt with portraying cults in slightly different ways, it felt as if there was something in the air; it seemed as if suddenly all of these filmmakers were making small, independent films about cults. If you pay attention to this kind of stuff, it might strike you that Riley Stearns' freshman feature, Faults, is a couple of years late to the party - after all, the plot revolves around a man hired to pull a girl out of a cult lifestyle and "deprogram" her. But this movie is an assured directorial debut that clearly stands on its own. A taut, hypnotizing thriller with dynamic performances all around, Faults is a terrific example of the power of low budget filmmaking.

Faults
Writer/Director: Riley Stearns
Starring: Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lance Reddick