When whistleblowers change their mind, they hire Ash (Riz Ahmed). A professional go-between who acts as a facilitator between almost-whistleblowers and the powerful conglomerates they are trying to stop exposing, he lays out a deal whereby the information is not distributed to the media in exchange for the safety of the non-whistleblower. He holds onto the information as leverage and protection for all parties.
This system has been working - until Ash gets too close to his latest client, Sarah (Lily James).
Her former employer has hired a fixer of their own (Sam Worthington) who is very interested in wrapping up all loose ends - including Sarah’s new ally…
Relay feels like some kind of salute/tip of the hat from Riz Ahmed to the Deaf community after Sound of Metal.
His character utilises the relay service to communicate with his clients, a service Deaf people can use to make phone calls by typing out what they want to say to an operator who repeats it verbatim. No numbers are kept, no conversations are recorded. It is a great conceit - if a bit unlikely for a motion picture.
But to their credit, the filmmakers pull it off.
This is a slow-burn, but it never gets bogged down.
It is so compelling, and Riz Ahmed’s performance so effective, that you do not notice the main character has not spoken for the first several scenes (I did not time it, but it seemed to be over ten minutes).
While the characters mostly communicate via the relay service (they do not come face-to-face until the third act), the film moves so smoothly between their different perspectives you never notice.
It was so good, I was disappointed by a third act twist that feels a little tacked on.
It makes the movie a little less cookie-cutter, but it kinda reinforces the character’s paranoia, rather than allowing him to move beyond it.
Still, an effective thriller. Recommended.
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