It’s not what it looks like.|May. 20, 2022|United States|105 Min.|R
Genre: Comedy;Drama;Thriller
Description: Emergency is a 2022 American comedy-drama thriller film directed by Carey Williams, based on a screenplay by KD Dávila. It is a full-length adaptation of Williams and Dávila’s 2018 short film of the same name. The movie premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Amazon Studios. It had a limited theatrical release on May 20, 2022, followed by a streaming release on Amazon Prime on May 27, 2022.
The original short film Emergency won the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 SXSW. KD Dávila’s screenplay was included in the 2020 Black List, which highlights popular unproduced scripts from emerging screenwriters. The feature film was developed in collaboration with Temple Hill Entertainment and Amazon Studios.
In April 2021, it was announced that RJ Cyler would reprise his role from the short film, joined by a new cast including Sabrina Carpenter, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, and Melanie Jeffcoat. Principal photography took place in spring 2021.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 95% approval rating based on 57 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. Critics praised the film for blending classic college comedy with socially relevant themes, describing it as “smart, disturbing, and hilarious.” Metacritic assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, indicating “generally favorable reviews.”
At the Sundance Film Festival, Dávila was awarded the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. The film, centered on three friends attempting to take an overdosed young woman to the emergency room, surprises viewers with its unpredictable narrative. It begins as a politically charged campus buddy comedy before transforming into a real-world thriller akin to “After Hours” or “Something Wild.” The story explores themes of friendship and escalating challenges, keeping audiences engaged as it teeters between horror, crime, and comedy genres.
Cast director: Carey Williams
Cast actor: Donald Watkins, RJ Cyler, Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, Melanie Jeffcoat, Nadine Lewington, Callan Wilson
Original name: Emergency