Shadows in Mind - Stream It or Skip It

Shadows in Mind isn’t afraid to hold a mirror to some of the darkest corners of the LGBTQ+ experience in many of our big cities. The result is a thriller that hits hard and soars above the limitations of its small budget through powerful and engaging direction, performances, and a perfectly paced screenplay.

Since the 1970s, volunteer-run LGBT+ Switchboards and Crisis Lines have been a mainstay of queer community culture in many large cities worldwide. These confidential telephone lines reached their peak during the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and have continued to adapt ever since, providing a listening ear for those in crisis with nowhere else to turn.

Anyone who has ever worked for one of those lines will tell you that many callers simply need someone to talk to, while others see the comforting voice on the other end of the phone as a friend in a world of increasing loneliness. For San Francisco LGBT+ crisis line listener Simon (Corey Jackson), the nightly calls from regular users are wearing thin as he wonders whether the crisis line is merely a befriending and signposting service. But as Simon starts his shift, expecting the usual, a mysterious young caller dials in with an urgent and devastating story to tell.

As Simon listens, Danny (Christian Gabriel) explains that he is planning to kill himself and that the clock is ticking. Danny tells Simon that he recently moved to San Francisco from Nebraska for a job as an IT consultant on a basic wage that didn’t even secure him a one-bed flat. Nonetheless, he was upbeat about his prospects and immediately turned to a dating app to find new friends and possibly a boyfriend. There, he met Kyle (Pano Tsaklas), a fellow tech engineer who appeared to have it all: a work-from-home job, a beautiful apartment and money to spare. After several dates, a relationship began to form. But Kyle’s life held secrets, ranging from his mysterious employers to a lavish lifestyle far beyond his young age.

Simon intently listens as Danny’s story grows increasingly worrying, prompting him to contact a colleague, Curtis (Mike Mizwicki), who joins him due to the safeguarding concerns. However, neither Simon nor Curtis is prepared for the darkness about to envelop them as Danny’s story reaches its devastating final act.

Writer and director Mark Schwab’s exquisitely written psychological queer thriller is nothing short of riveting, as Danny’s story slowly unfolds through conversation and flashbacks. Like Schwab’s 2023 anthology Exteriors, Shadows in Mind gives every character space and time to develop in a story that never rushes to a climax, slowly ratcheting up the tension as Danny’s story of sex, manipulation, lies, and exploitation becomes increasingly unnerving with each flashback.

As Simon and Curtis listen, the dimly lit LGBT+ crisis line office atmosphere becomes steadily more uneasy as the clock ticks and Danny’s intentions become clear. Schwab’s devilishly taut atmosphere is achieved on a minuscule budget by allowing his audience and his telephone operator, Simon, only snippets of information at a time. This places us, the audience, in the same position as Simon as we attempt to piece together a puzzle with several important parts missing until the final devastating act.

The fact that Mark Schwab and his exemplary cast, many of whom also starred in Exteriors, deliver a truly engaging and nerve-shredding thriller on a shoestring budget is impressive in itself. But Schwab also dives into several social themes that continue to haunt our LGBTQ+ community, from drug use to sexual exploitation, the need for companionship and security, and an ever-evolving online world that feeds desires at the click of a button. Here, Shadows in Mind isn’t afraid to hold a mirror to some of the darkest corners of the LGBTQ+ experience in many of our big cities.

The result is a thriller that hits hard and soars above the limitations of its small budget through powerful and engaging direction, performances, and a perfectly paced screenplay.