Truth Doesn’t Sell in This Town

Read Time:5 Minute, 3 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Beneath the Fold
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Year Released: 2024
Runtime: 1h 20m
Director(s): Neil Thomas Kirby
Writer(s): Neil Thomas Kirby
Cast: Scott Cohen, Frederick Weller, Jamie Lee, Jelani Alladin, Nick Dillenburg, Max Garfin, Chris Lindsay-Abaire, Dacey Else, Dorcas Sowunmi
Where to Watch: available now on demand & digital HD here: www.tubitv.com and most VOD sites

RAVING REVIEW: BENEATH THE FOLD strips journalism of its romanticism and puts the job back where it belongs: on the floor of a crumbling newsroom, littered with empty coffee cups, exhausted staff, and half-finished stories. Writer-director Neil Thomas Kirby—drawing on his own experience as a small-town reporter—delivers a somber yet honest portrait of a profession gasping for relevance during a financial crisis, where passion runs high but resources run dry.

Set in the waning days of the 2000s recession, the film follows a team of local reporters as they try to stay afloat amid a collapsing print industry. There are no grand exposés here, no awards on the horizon—just burnt-out journalists chasing leads that may never yield results. Instead of offering a thrilling investigation or a clear moral triumph, the film reveals what happens when the pursuit of truth is gradually stifled by economic reality.

Jamie Lee leads the ensemble with understated intensity, capturing the disillusionment and quiet desperation of someone who still believes in the mission, even as the mission crumbles around them. Scott Cohen brings grizzled seriousness to a character who’s seen that too many front pages lead nowhere. Jelani Alladin provides a welcome energy, portraying someone perhaps too new to realize just how broken the system has become. At the same time, Frederick Weller lends edge to a figure caught between apathy and rage. Each performance feels grounded—almost raw—and the ensemble succeeds in conveying a collective burnout that never tips into melodrama.

Visually, the film adopts a stripped-down aesthetic, utilizing naturalistic lighting and sparse locations to highlight the limited resources these journalists are working with, both physically and metaphorically. The tone is quiet, often bleak, and wholly devoid of flourish. That’s the point. Kirby doesn’t want to entertain us with the journalism fantasy; he wants to show us the professional drudgery of it all, and the heartbreak that comes when doing the job right becomes a luxury.

One of the film’s strongest elements is its refusal to offer closure. There’s no big twist, no satisfying takedown, no convenient solution to any of the stories hinted at throughout the narrative. That absence of payoff might frustrate some viewers, but it’s one of the film’s most truthful choices. In an industry where journalists are often asked to do more with less—or worse, pretend less is enough—Kirby challenges the audience to sit in that discomfort.

Still, there are moments when the film’s commitment to realism veers close to stasis. The narrative occasionally struggles with momentum, especially in its middle act, as plotlines drift without resolution. But again, that may be intentional. The film’s core theme is the unresolved—professionally, personally, and institutionally—and that through-line is never lost, even when the pacing lags.

What truly stands out is how BENEATH THE FOLD captures the culture clash inside a dying newsroom: the friction between the seasoned veterans and the newer generation, the ethical questions of what counts as newsworthy when ad dollars take priority, and the quiet grief of watching a calling turn into just another job. There's an aching melancholy in every line spoken or every frustrated look shared when another lead hits a dead end.

Kirby’s script is sharp, choosing quiet introspection over grandstanding. The dialogue feels lived-in, less about delivering exposition and more about revealing how people retreat into themselves when their purpose is slowly being erased. It's a tough emotional space to navigate, but Kirby, along with a confident cast, threads that needle with care.

While it doesn’t aim for stylistic dazzle, BENEATH THE FOLD deserves recognition for the way it captures the erosion of something once sacred. It speaks not just to the journalism industry, but to anyone who's ever worked hard for something bigger than themselves, only to watch the system collapse around them.

It’s a film that might not satisfy the viewer looking for a neat ending, but that’s exactly what makes it powerful. Like the reporters it portrays, it continues to search for something—truth, justice, even relevance—knowing full well that it may never find it. This isn’t the story behind the headlines. It’s the story of what’s left when the headlines stop printing.

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[photo courtesy of FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA]

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