
Directed and written by Ryan Barton-Grimley, Listen Carefully explores the terrorising experience of new parenthood, and every new father’s worst nightmare involving a missing child.
When the exhausted and overburdened assistant bank manager Andy (played by director Barton-Grimley) is solo parenting his newborn baby daughter for the night whilst his wife goes out, his child ends up being kidnapped. The kidnapper communicates with Andy with the instruction that he must follow his instructions very carefully and rob his place of work lest he will never see his daughter again.

With plenty of horror films centering themselves on the anxiety of motherhood, it is quite refreshing to experience a film that is father centric, depicting just how anxiety laden new dads’ experiences can be and forgoing the usual portrayal of a clueless and gaslighting father in opposition to the usual manic maternal character.
Whilst Ryan Barton-Grimley does a good job at portraying a desperate dad who, even before falling victim to a baby-napper, is a timid pushover who seems to constantly be on the edge of snapping, the story never seems to be completely going anywhere in any real sort of direction or development, which eventually makes sense once the end reveal. Unfortunately it is the final reveal which is the most disappointing aspect of the film, leaving viewers with a lacklustre feeling.

Listen Carefully attempts to present itself as a taut Taken-esque (2008) thriller, but with a disappointing ending, falls somewhat flat.
1.5 Screams out of 5
Listen Carefully is out now worldwide on VOD
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