Vague Visages’ The Buildout review contains minor spoilers. Zeshaan Younus’ 2024 movie features Hannah Alline as Dylan, Jenna Kanell as Cameron and Natasha Halevi as Cleric Kanner. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

The Buildout points to the sky with its supernatural themes but grounds the character drama in realism. Writer-director Zeshaan Younus (in his feature debut) explores two timelines as scientists and female dirt bikers investigate the “Carrizo Impact” in the American Southwest — a “spiritual hotspot” region that presumably hosts “God’s conduit.” With a brisk running time of approximately 64 minutes, The Buildout showcases a storyteller in harmony with a specific cinematic vision about life, death, trauma and healing through friendship.

Many ambitious indies typically reveal their core flaws immediately during the first act, whether it’s through clunky editing, stiff acting or uninspired direction. The Buildout, however, stays consistent with its tone via expansive cinematography and naturalistic character banter. Younus avoids heavy exposition by introducing the narrative essentials right away and refusing to explain the full context. In the first timeline, a female scientist gleefully records her findings on day two of a research mission in the Carrizo Impact region, musing about the possibility of life while feeling at peace with herself. She eventually gets sent home by her colleague, Cleric Barrow (Michael Sung Ho), who seemingly discovered something mystical in the desert while experiencing visions of a mysterious woman (Ariel Barber). After the opening seven-minute prelude, Younus shifts to a story about two friends navigating the same region. Dylan (Hannah Alline), a recovering drug addict, plans to leave her old life behind in favor of a religious community. Meanwhile, Cameron (Jenna Kanell) tags along, presumably to offer emotional support while thinking about her late sister. As the protagonists enjoy their “one final ride” together, a serious of supernatural events force them to look inward to deal with some unresolved issues.

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The Buildout is a film of contrasts: bright skies and dangerous trails, emotional highs and lows, life and death. Through this narrative approach, Younus produces a sense of balance, even when things go wrong for the protagonists. And despite the cryptic storytelling and lack of complete clarity, the writer-director introduces a variety of familiar tropes to keep the audience engaged. At times, The Buildout feels like a cinematic descendant of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), but Younus then shifts back to a traditional found-footage style while doubling down on the “one final ride” trope, which is usually associated with actions films (specifically crime dramas). And so the narrative experience never seems discombobulating, thanks to the strong character dialogue and chemistry between the two leads. With Dylan (pictured below), there’s a Manson Girl aspect to her personality, as the conflicted woman appears desperate to find clarity about the meaning of life. As an actress, Alline fully sells her character’s frustration through brief monologues and side-eyes glances at her pal. And Dylan’s gentle yet anxious demeanor is contrasted by Cameron’s hard-as-nails personality, with the co-lead Kannell reminding of memorable actresses like Fairuza Balk (American History X) and Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black) through her no-nonsense attitude.

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Justin Moore’s cinematography functions as a supporting character in The Buildout, evidenced by numerous wide landscape shots and the overall sense of a mystic presence. The most impactful visuals, though, arguably transpire during ground sequences. During one standout moment, Cameron exits a car to investigate a nearby sound. Rather than following the character, Moore keeps his camera focused on the vehicle, thus allowing the sound design to leave a mark while increasing the tension. A few moments later, the director and cinematographer compose a beautiful yet haunting image, with one of the lead characters staged in the foreground and something else situated in the background. Overall, a little more narrative clarity about the supernatural elements would’ve been nice in The Buildout, but what’s most important, arguably, is that viewers learn about the protagonists’ trauma and how that translates to their perception of the surrounding world. Sometimes, the most exhilarating part of any new journey is taking that first step forward while staying focused on the present and acknowledging basic truths.

The Buildout released digitally on February 25, 2025 via Ethos Releasing.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film essays at Vague Visages.

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