Jeanne Goursaud stars as Sara Wulf, a war veteran suffering obviously from PTSD after surviving an attack in Afghanistan years ago. And wouldn't you know it, she had just had a little fling with a fellow soldier, which you know means she's now pregnant. She later gives birth to Josh (Rickson Guy da Silva), but her baby's daddy didn't make it through the battle.
Anyway, the dad was American, and after getting a job offer from the states, Sara and Josh head to the US consulate to try and start a new life. After a few hours of waiting, Josh gets restless and the already stressed Sara drops him off for a moment in the "play area" until their number is called. It's called but, uh-oh, he's nowhere to be found, no doubt sending her into a frenzy.
It's a lot of plot but fortunately all this is about ten minutes; this has all the goods of any taunt little thriller. Erik Kynch, played with empathy and a funny little mustache by Dougray Scott, assures Sara that they'll find little Josh. Anyone who's ever seen a movie like this knows that that won't happen, at least not that easily, and, no spoilers, but it doesn't.
Due to plot, Sara is detained by security but escapes, thanks no doubt to "her file" showing that she's "trained in hand to hand combat," because of course it is, convinced that Mr. Scott and associates not only know more than they're letting on, but actually have him. Why, she has no idea, but then again, could it be her PTSD? This suspicion is what I like most about "Exterritorial."
While she explores this labyrinthine facility, she stumbles into a woman who claims her name is Irina (Lera Abova), living in one of the building's apartments for reasons veiled only by plot. Carrying a flashdrive, Irina begs Sara to help her escape if she helps locate Josh, and their relationship, though built on circumstance and lies, is kinda sweet. Unfortunately I can't in good-faith say anything else about the narrative.
The action is good, containing everything in claustrophobic hallways for probably budgetary reasons, but it helps ground everything in realism; this helps when the story is so goofy when you stop to think about it. And for awhile, you don't, because by forcing the actors in a single, albeit large, location, it builds a level of tension as a potential baddy walks by the two girls in a crowded cafeteria.
I mean, I know they won't, but by raising the possibility that all this espionage could be in her head, you never know for 100% certain which way the film will go. But it all goes off rails once writer/director Christian Zübert answers that question, and I am unsatisfied not only with his answer but also how he answers it; he introduces physiological-thriller elements only to devolve into your standard action-thriller.
And then, the cinematic icing on the cake if you will, he ruins what should be an interesting climax, set in a safe room deep on the property, by self-indulging on laborious exposition. So by this point you realize everything that happened could only happen if Sara got herself that cup of coffee. Pure coincidence! Squandering a decent idea only to settle on genre conventions; this is an example on how not to cross "Taken" with "Die Hard." Yippee Ki Yay, or I will find you.
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