A Janitor, a Locked Door, and Society’s Unequal Rules

Read Time:5 Minute, 40 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Trapped
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Genre: Thriller, Drama, Short
Year Released: 2024
Runtime: 15m
Director(s): David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz
Writer(s): David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz
Cast: Luke Cawley, Aedan Jayce, Ethan Jones, Joel Meyers, Javier Molina
Where to Watch: shown at the 2024 SXSW and 2025 HollyShorts Film Festivals

RAVING REVIEW: In fifteen minutes, TRAPPED builds genuine tension, explores layered social commentary, and leaves you thinking long after the credits. Directed, written, and produced by brothers Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz, the short turns an ordinary high school janitor’s shift into a nightmare of escalating peril. But beneath the suspense lies something more penetrating—a critique of power, privilege, and how the smallest choices reveal who society protects and who it doesn’t.

A janitor working alone late at night faces a series of increasingly dangerous obstacles. That setup could easily become a minimalist exercise in tension for tension’s sake, but the Cutler-Kreutz brothers use it as a moral labyrinth. What begins as survival horror evolves into an exploration of class divides, framed through a story stripped of exposition and excess. Every sound, every flicker of a fluorescent light, every decision carries weight. The brothers’ control over pacing feels surgical—each moment carefully measured to stretch anxiety just to its breaking point, then snap back.

There’s a haunting precision to how TRAPPED unfolds. The film never spoon-feeds context or backstory. Instead, it forces the audience to fill in the blanks, mirroring how real power dynamics often operate—unspoken yet unmistakable. When danger arrives, it’s not just physical; it’s systemic. The film doesn’t require grand speeches to make its point. The janitor’s situation says it all: even in isolation, hierarchy follows. The walls of privilege don’t crumble under duress—they tighten.

The performances play a massive role in keeping that tension grounded. Luke Cawley, as the janitor, anchors the film with understated physicality. His every movement carries exhaustion, pride, and resignation, revealing a man used to being unseen until suddenly everything depends on his visibility. Aedan Jayce and Ethan Jones embody entitlement in contrasting ways—one overtly hostile, the other casually detached. Their presence transforms the school into a social microcosm, turning a locked hallway into a battlefield of class and survival instincts. Meanwhile, Joel Meyers and Javier Molina lend the ensemble depth, each playing figures whose choices amplify the film’s unease rather than resolve it.

Much of TRAPPED’s strength comes from how confidently it’s made. There’s no hesitation in its storytelling or its aesthetic. The cinematography by Gabriel Crawford Connelly is crisp but claustrophobic, keeping the viewer close enough to feel the sweat on the janitor’s brow. The lighting makes hallways look almost alien, the familiar warped into something predatory. The editing by Caitlin Carr is relentless yet restrained—sharp enough to maintain suspense, yet not frantic, allowing the performances to breathe. Every cut feels like a heartbeat.

What makes TRAPPED especially effective is its blend of social consciousness with pure genre craftsmanship. Many shorts that have something to say often overlook the importance of entertaining; others, conversely, entertain but have little to say. This one does both. It’s the rare film that keeps its audience on edge for every second while simultaneously prompting reflection on why tension exists in the first place. The janitor isn’t just trapped—he’s trapped by the invisible systems that define who gets help, who gets blamed, and who gets forgotten.

Empty hallways, utility closets, and locked doors aren’t just obstacles—they’re metaphors for institutional barriers. Even the janitor’s tools, once symbols of maintenance and order, become survival equipment. For a project of this size, the craft on display rivals larger studio thrillers. The sound design alone—subtle echoes, distant footsteps, the hum of fluorescent lights—becomes its own character, breathing dread into the smallest spaces.

There’s a moment near the end where you realize the film isn’t about escape at all—it’s about realization. The janitor’s confrontation, both literal and metaphorical, becomes a reflection of every invisible struggle that happens when the world looks the other way. By the time the credits roll, the audience is left with an unease that lingers, not because of what’s seen, but because of what’s implied. That’s the mark of filmmakers in full control of their craft.

The world it creates is so potent that you’re left craving more. The Cutler-Kreutz brothers could easily evolve this into a feature without losing the intimacy that defines it. Although the restraint feels intentional—fifteen minutes, one location, one story, and no wasted breath. It’s filmmaking that respects its audience’s intelligence.

TRAPPED proves that brevity doesn’t have to mean limitation. It’s proof that a short film can carry the impact of a full-length thriller when guided by vision, empathy, and technical prowess. The Cutler-Kreutz brothers deliver a lean, visceral experience that challenges, entertains, and unsettles in equal measure. Their next move may be inevitable: if this short is any indication, their eventual feature debut won’t just be anticipated—it’ll be demanded. TRAPPED captures the heart of class-conscious storytelling through precision filmmaking. It’s sharp, suspenseful, and quietly devastating—proof that the strongest stories don’t need time, just truth.

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