Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are enjoying the rarest of rare treats, an actually watchable Tubi Original horror movie. Todd Bogin’s Hidden Exposure from 2023.
Hidden Exposure (terrible title by the way) follows the story of dancer Sabina (Liana Liberato). After giving up most of her dreams to support her dim witted partner Ramsey (Jordan Rodrigues). Sabina is devastated when he ends the relationship over a, seemingly, trivial argument. Determined to get answers and to confront Ramsey, Sabina follows him to his new home and interjects herself into his new relationship.
Before you carry on reading. If you end up watching this movie and want to get a little deeper into the plot. How about reading 6,000+ words of me rambling on about it? Okay so you don’t have to read the whole thing. That would be a big ask. But feel free to check out our Hidden Exposure Ending Explained article where I clear up some of the movie’s more cryptic moments. We also talk a lot about narcissism and mental abuse. Be warned, however, it is not spoiler free, unlike this review which is.
Fairly Compelling Character Drama
Hidden Exposure is more of a drama than anything else. One that focuses on the tense love triangle between Sabina, her ex boyfriend and his new partner. Despite being offered the chance of a lifetime dancing in a major production. Sabina’s recovery from the breakup was impacted by a chance meeting with Ramsey. Resulting in her pushing her dreams to one side so that she can finally put the situation to bed once and for all. The vast majority of the movie focuses on Sabina’s pursuit of her ex boyfriend.
Themes of mental abuse and controlling, coercive, behaviour take centre stage, pushing potential thriller elements to one side. Instead, this is a movie that acts as a character study of Sabina as she attempts to recover from a terrible relationship with a manipulative narcissist. And, for the most part, it works pretty well. Sabina’s motivations are, somewhat, clear considering that she is a victim of abuse. And the events that play out are pretty compelling throughout. The story doesn’t have too many down moments and things flow along quite nicely.
Realistic Portrayals
Hidden Exposure’s depiction of abuse is all too real which, actually, makes it all the more frightening. Ramsey is a complete waste of skin and air yet he consistently tramples all over the ambitions of the amazingly talented Sabina. When he is done with her, he discards her and moves on to someone else to leach off of their success. Hidden Exposure presents the viewer with a character that is incredibly realistic and a version of abuse that is both nuanced and recognisable.
Sabina also feels like a very real character. Her initial reactions to the situation taking place are completely believable. Especially when framed against a background of manipulation and coercion. You genuinely feel for her and will be consistently wondering why the hell she is wasting her time with such an obnoxious dullard. There is a palpable sense of frustration when witnessing Sabina having the opportunity to make something of herself, only to let it slip away. The question is, does all of this relationship drama and character building make for a good movie?
Well that depends on what you want from it. If you hit up Tubi’s horror section and saw this film, you are likely going to feel short changed. It isn’t a horror. As a movie, it works quite well. It’s fairly interesting and the story is easy to engage in. I can’t help but feel a slight feeling of “meh”, however, when it comes to Hidden Exposure. It never feels as though it peaks. It is very much content in being a rather run of the mill drama movie. Which makes me wonder how it would weigh up compared to other dramas. Still, it goes in a few unexpected directions and is interesting enough, for the most part.
A Few Issues
Hidden Exposure is a gorgeous film and clearly the work of a talented cinematographer. But, when it comes to direction, there are a few issues. This movie has a very poorly established continuity. Bogin’s use of flashbacks and a non-linear timeline lead to a few issues. There is very little to denote one time period from another, meaning months will pass with little to no indication of how long it has been.
This makes some of the events that take place seem somewhat confusing and a bit out of sequence. In fact, in a few scenes you will be watching one event taking place in the future while another past event plays out alongside it. Adding to the confusion and requiring a bit of catch up on the viewer’s part. I’m sure this is deliberate but a more experienced director would find a way to make things a bit more clear.
The Biggest Problem Of All
I felt as though sound production was a bit of an issue here. Mics are over sensitive leading to a lot of hiss, some distortion, and a ridiculous amount of noises like lip smacking coming through on the track. It seems as though sound production is a real lacking department as of late. The movie really stretches the realms of possibility at times, too. A lot of events don’t make much sense and the entire town referring to the very average looking Ramsay as “that handsome guy” feels like an enormous stretch. I am guessing they didn’t get the original actor they wanted?
The biggest problem of all, however, is the end. Hidden Exposure’s ending is left extremely open. It finishes up with a massive revelation that leaves the viewer wanting to see more. Only to roll the credits, basically letting you decide for yourself. Writers are so unbelievably lazy, nowadays. Do you want the viewer to have partial writing credits? There is a drawn out story that promises to go somewhere and demonstrate some consequences and resolution. For some reason, however, the writers here decided that the viewer didn’t need to see this. Cutting the movie short and leaving everything open ended. It’s a major disappointment given the slow pace and rather milquetoast lead up.
Well Acted
On the plus side, acting is pretty solid throughout. Liana Liberato is extremely good as Sabina. I did not like her performance in The Beach House at all but she is great, here. She brings nuance to her character, is fantastic at expressing her character’s feelings, and makes Sabina feel like a real person. Excellent stuff.
I don’t think Jordan Rodrigues quite fits the character profile of Ramsey. The way characters talk about him and the way women fawn over him, you would think that this was Chris Hemsworth. My fiancee thought that Ramsey might have been played by one of the writers who decided to big himself up a bit in the script. That’s not the case, of course, but an amusing observation. Rodrigues is definitely not a heartthrob but he does a good job. He really nails the narcissistic traits of his character. Using a quiet delivery to demean Sabina and giving Ramsey a genuine feeling of creepiness that you would expect from a character like this.
Bruce Willis’ and Demi Moore’s daughter Rumer Willis, as Alvy, is okay. She sure likes smiling a lot. A few of her scenes felt a lot like something you would see in a commercial for a diabetes drug. You know the type? When they are all smiling maniacally while the voiceover tells you how the drug will probably cause your ovaries to explode, testicles to fall off, or rectum to prolapse? She reminded me of Andie MacDowell for some reason. To be honest, her character doesn’t have much in the way of personality outside of “grinning constantly and looking like a hippy” but she sure does okay with this.
Should You Watch Hidden Exposure?
Hidden Exposure is a movie that is increasingly rare nowadays. A Tubi Original that is actually entirely watchable. The only problem is that it isn’t a horror movie at all; it is barely even a thriller. This is not the movie to go into believing the advertising. You will be disappointed as you find yourself balls deep in relationship drama. It’s still a decent movie, though, and well worth a watch. Especially considering the fact that it is free. Acting is, generally, decent, the story is fairly interesting and the movie looks absolutely gorgeous. There are some issues here and there but Hidden Exposure is a good movie that is worth 90 minutes of your time. Just don’t go into it expecting even a hint of horror or you will be disappointed.
