It's been quite interesting having a look over other Letterboxd reviews for this one because they are so polarised. I was struck by how many of the really negative reviews directed their ire at the characters themselves and how stupid they saw them to be - the anger that this story has engendered is completely understandable, although I'd argue it's not really a reason to slam the film itself. Much as Craig Zobell has presented the characters as sympathetically as possible, I don't think he intends to excuse anyone's behaviour at all. That final scene alone where the manager is interviewed for TV is an incredibly articulate expression of humankind's staggering capacity for mindlessness.

I have to say, I would have found this a lot more shocking back in 2012 when it was released. This is based on real events, and my understanding is that although the characters and setting have all been changed and events from more than one case have been elided together, this is a pretty accurate depiction of what happened. But, see, since this film was made, 70 million people voted for Donald Trump. Twice. The human stupidity on display in Compliance is pretty extreme, but nothing surprises me any more. People are fucking stupid, to a frightening degree. This has already been proven without a doubt as far as I'm concerned.

Yes, it is frankly astonishing what people will do when they are ordered to do it by an authority figure, but this is where our animal psychology comes through. We're social animals. The whole reason we can build these massive, elaborate, interlinked and synchronised civilisations and societies is partly down to our compulsion to follow authority. This comes right down to our basest animal impulses - we can't help it. And yes, it's fucking scary to think what someone with an innate understanding of that psychological coding can do to us.

So, the film itself is not particularly flashy from a directorial point of view, and that to me is the perfect strategy for Zobell to take. Simple minimalism in terms of the application of style so that we can be transported into this grotty little retail backroom environment. We both feel a part of the events and distant enough from them to sit in mute outrage at the actions of the people we're trapped with. It's a film that positively invites feelings of frustration and impotence in its audience, and so the polarised responses are inevitable.

But what is really happening is that Zobell is pacing this so beautifully to lead us down this path of dawning, still disbelieving horror. The cast is magnificent - Ann Dowd utterly convincing as the terrifyingly average low-level manager with responsibilities beyond her capacity (say hello to an entire stratum of the modern workforce, folks); Dreama Walker equally so as this self-absorbed millennial who is utterly hapless and hopeless prey for the creep on the end of the phone line and the mindlessness of those around her; Bill Camp subtly balances simple decency with his own lurking menace to the point where we wonder if maybe we harbour such destructive potential in ourselves (and this is the most confronting implication of the film, so no wonder it provokes such backlash at times); and finally the always-terrific Pat Healy as this fucking little asshole getting his kicks from the arch-manipulation - a form of crime so difficult for us to combat as a society because it's as pointless as it is unexpected.

I can only imagine re-watching this movie if I wanted to see someone else experience it, because I have to admit I am fascinated at the responses it evokes. But I do agree that it's not really a pleasant experience to watch in any way - I can agree with the detractors that much. But at the end of the day, Zobell has pulled off exactly what he wanted - it's a very accomplished and powerful film in its own way.