‘Restless’ review: Dir. Jed Hart [TriBeca 2024]

Along with your family, another set of people that you have no control over is who your neighbours are. If you are lucky, you have people living next door who are quiet and courteous. However, sometimes neighbours can be a noisy and disrespectful nightmare. In the UK the situation spawned eight seasons of documentary series The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door, which demonstrated just how common feuds with neighbours are. Although the show captured the frequency perfectly, it never truly encapsulated what it is like to live through that experience. Now, British director Jed Hart rectifies that with his debut feature, Restless. 

Set within the community of a faceless coastal town, Restless follows the plight of care worker Nicky (Lyndsey Marshal), who finds her life upended when Deano (Aston McAuley) moves in next door. Even before her nightmare neighbour arrives, Nicky’s life is full of stress. She is overworked and underappreciated in her job. The intensity of her work melts away when she gets home though, her modest semi-detached abode her own fortress of solitude. Once inside, Nicky bakes away the troubles of her day, recharges, and rinse-repeats on loop. Then the arrival of Deano shatters her serene oasis, and as the noise and torment increases, Nicky’s mental health plumets and Restless takes on a dangerous edge. 

What makes Restless work so well is that Hart expertly creates tension at any given opportunity. Even the relatively mundane task of taking the bins out causes the viewer’s heart to catch in their throat as they await another encounter between Nicky and Deano. The vibrancy of the tension is so much that chests will tighten and palms will start sweating. The other element working in Restless’ favour is that many of the audience will be able to identify with Nicky’s situation. Whether they have had to live next to someone as antisocial as Deano, or merely had to  experience a sleepless night due to a one-off party, it is easy to get into Nicky’s headspace. Those that live in the United Kingdom will be very familiar with the likes of Deano and his mates, the group being the ultimate Chav stereotype. 

Whilst many chavs are all bark, the threat of their bite means that folk like Nicky find it hard to communicate with them. Hart perfectly exemplifies the warring factions early on when Nicky politely requests that Deano turn his music down, having already suffered a sleepless night due to his partying the night before. As she begins her journey, the viewer is willing her not to as they know her plea will be met with deaf ears. It takes until the latter half of the film, and Nicky has become an anxiety ridden sleep deprive wreck, for her to fully understand a language which will work, and the payoff to all that well crafted tension is slowly released. The conclusion might not be cathartic enough for the amount of anguish that Hart has cleverly inflicted on the audience to that point, but it is a somewhat realistic representation of reality. Nightmare neighbour scenarios rarely end happily, but there’s just enough here for the viewer to cheer at least a little. 

Lyndsey Marshal is exceptional as Nicky. She captures Nicky’s exhaustion and downtrodden spirit heartbreakingly well. More importantly though, her performance is careful and considered. Whilst the film explores the decline of her mental health, Marshal never ventures too far into hysterical wreck. Instead, even in her most frightened and frustrated moments, Nicky’s resilience shines. Her anger pushes her through and her determined spirit is one to admire. Marshal also ensures that there are moments of light to Nicky. Her glee at her small victories and occasional wry jokes demonstrates to the audience that this is not the dull and drab nag that Deano and his gang try to portray her as. Every aspect of Nicky’s psyche has been carefully crafted and she makes for a fascinating lead character made authentic by Marshal’s astute performance. 

For some audience members, Restless will be triggering. Hart deftly captures the futility of living next door to inconsiderate noise machines, right down to the lack of help from the police or council. Restless also highlights how the community of the neighbourhood has disintegrated. Once upon a time everybody knew everybody and helped one another. Now, more often than not, those that live next door are strangers. Here, Nicky does know those who live around her, but the community spirit has evaporated and everyone nearby leaves Nicky to fight the fight alone. It’s a sad reality and one that again will cause the blood pressure to rise for those that have lived through similar encounters. 

Given that the Chav is a personality and lifestyle type almost exclusive to Britain, it is difficult to know how well the dynamic of Deano and Nicky will translate to America and other parts of the world. It is clear that the two factions are polar opposites, but those that have lived within the United Kingdom stand the best chance at fully understanding the inherent threat that it presents. The story remains horribly intense either way, it will just be more likely to start to suffocate those with experience. Wickedly traumatic and tense, Restless is an apt name for the film as it will leave the audience feeling exactly that. 

Restless was reviewed at TriBeCa 2024.