COMPLIANCE
***
Directed by Kyle Mangione-Smith
Starring Megan Wilcox, Lindsey Normington, Charlie Wood
Horror, USA, 105 minutes
Reviewed as part of Tubi FrightFest 2026
Sam Cornell works as a crisis manager for a tech startup specialising in accommodation rentals on the verge of a very lucrative investment deal. When a customer is violently raped in one of companys accommodations, Sam is called in to do damage control and make sure that no scandal affects the upcoming deal. But what she thinks is a delicate but cut-and-dried job soon spins out of control.
COMPLIANCE tells a very big story, working both as a complicated corporate thriller and a trenchant socio-political commentary. Anyone who spends time online will recognise the issues of our times: misogynistic violence, sex scandals, right-wing conspiracy theories, the marriage of politics and the billionaire class, and the overarching question of who, exactly, is running things.
The acting is excellent. Megan Wilcox, as Sam, strikes exactly the right notes to bring her character to life, vivid and fully-rounded: she is a decent person with a conscience, but is also very self-serving; she is both a pawn and a player; a social worker and a corporate cog. Lindsey Normington as rape victim Sarah is inscrutable and fascinating, and Charlie Wood’s tech-bro type, Harry, cycles convincingly between charm, insincerity, panic and menace.
The real star of the show, though, is the cinematography. This is the cleverest use of the found-footage technique that I’ve seen. Every scene is compiled of footage sourced from the cameras that are so much a part of our lives. We are being filmed all the time: by ourselves, by others, in both public and private spaces, in our cars, our homes, our streets and our workplaces, both legally and illegally.
Equally, in this era of endless content, as much as everyone is being watched all the time, so everyone watches: talk shows, news broadcasts, porn and anything that anyone wants to share on livestream.
And yet, COMPLIANCE says, all of this content has replaced useful information. No one actually knows what is going on. Some people know some things, but most are just grappling with misinformation, spinning out conspiracy theories, or following others. They cannot understand, much less control, the forces that control their lives.
One gripe: this is a complicated, information-dense movie, and many crucial plot points are delivered via text or imagery, often on split screens. The input comes at the viewer very fast and it’s not always easy to keep up. I was in the lucky position of being able to rewatch as needed, but cinema audiences may find themselves overwhelmed.
Trigger warning for sexual violence. It’s short-lived, but graphic.
Robyn Fraser