How can one say “no” to watching a film with Eric Roberts in what is probably his 530th role out of his 639 IMDB credits? It’s impossible not to, if for no other reason than curiosity’s sake. But if Eric Roberts is the reason you want to see ESCAPE TO THE COVE, you will be sorely disappointed as his appearance is limited to perhaps 90-120 seconds in the first act before he disappears. His performance is terrific, however, it feels like it was just dropped into the film with non sequitur aplomb. His character could and should have been developed into something more substantial given the story and various themes which it appears writer/director Robert Enriquez is trying to introduce.
So what is the story of ESCAPE TO THE COVE? Written and directed, and starring, Robert Enriquez, ESCAPE TO THE COVE is set in the near future where a pandemic has ravaged the earth. “Fear, greed and destruction have made way for such terrors as famine, pirates, zombies” along with flippered and two-footed sea lions. (Yes, zombies AND pirates.) For virus-free protagonist Cairo Yazid, his only chance for survival is to make it out of Los Angeles and to the Marina with the hope of securing a boat or passage across the ocean to a place only known as “The Cove”; a haven not only untouched by the virus and the pandemic, but a location unknown to all but for a select few.
Not the brightest bulb in the box and with no survival skills whatsoever, Cairo isn’t even aware of The Cove until he is saved from zombies by another wanderer, a self-sufficient young woman named Olivia. Together they venture to the Marina stopping along the way for some frolicking on the beach in the toxic waves at sunset. Unfortunately, Olivia meets her fate at the hands of a group of pirates led by a sociopathic psychotic named Luther (who just happens to be the son of Roberts’ character). Cairo is saved and somewhat befriended by Solomon, a man who could give Oscar the Grouch a run for his money.
As a quasi-friendship develops, and at the urging of Solomon’s good friend Sam Cook, Solomon ultimately agrees to find a boat, get it working, and take himself and Cairo to The Cove which just happens to be where Solomon’s estranged daughter is. Standing in their way are sea lions on land and in the sea, zombies prowling the docks, and Luther and his merry band of nutjobs.
The premise of ESCAPE TO THE COVE has potential, but unfortunately, Enriquez falls woefully short in not only the script and visual execution, but in his own performance as the film’s lead. The premise is, sadly, believable – pandemic, virus, and ineffective government all lead to death, famine, zombies, and um, pirates. . . .yet, the MTA buses are running in LA. Food is in short supply and even the fish are inedible thanks to toxicity in the water; sea lions and humans eat the bloated carcasses causing them to get sick and become infected violent “sea lions”.
There’s a lot here to play with as a filmmaker yet Enriquez lets it all fall by the wayside. It doesn’t take long before you ask yourself is Enriquez trying to make an arthouse film with his incessant use of sunset, ocean, firelight, and candlelight montages? Yes, much of it looks pretty and perhaps he’s trying to tacitly tell us that even though it’s the end of the world with a new kind of zombie and pirates (of which we only ever hear of Luther and his 5 buddies), there is still beauty. But it becomes overkill and wasted time as those montages have no dialogue so we learn nothing about the buffoonish Cairo or Olivia, the girl who saves him because he’s a lollygagging fool. Plus, we never get a real sense of doom and gloom Armageddon. There is a nonchalance with everything in this film (come on – Taco Tuesday?!) and no gravitas or sense of urgency but for a psycho wannabe pirate (which we see on Hollywood Boulevard or Venice Boardwalk daily), so we never have a need or reason to think about there still being beauty at the end of the world. And by the way, who’s driving the buses we see go by as Cairo walks about LA? Weird zombies?
Then you have to wonder, is he trying to make an action film? Clearly not, as the action that is present is horrifically executed – especially by Enriquez himself. And what is this with cammo grease in broad daylight and wearing cammo in a boat on the water under a shining sun? Face paint does not a warrior make.
Best casting and performances in the film come from Philip Cook as Sam and Mike Markoff as Luther. Cook grounds the film with a survivalist’s reality and that of a man who has seen better days and knows he’s at the end of the road age-wise and end of the world-wise. I love this character and Cook’s performance. But then we’ve got scene-stealer Markoff who is off the rails brilliant as the sociopathic psychotic Luther; a real nutjob, but he’s believable and you want to see more from him. Dana Kippel also serves the film well, bringing strong, caring, intelligent independence to Olivia.
Then there’s Garrett Barghash as Cairo. Mamby pamby, clueless, perhaps trying to be hippyish, walking around in pajama pants and slippers. His character shift into “wannabe action guy” is so unbelievable that it becomes laughable. There is never a moment in this film where I found myself rooting for Cairo to survive. Barghash is ineffective in his performance save for making Cairo someone you want to see meet his maker sooner rather than later.
And believability is the problem with Robert Enriquez as Solomon. I get it – writer/director/star, lo budget/no budget/micro-budget. But this feels like a vanity project. Not only is the film shortchanged with the script and his direction (aka wearing four hats – including producer – is too many ways to split attention), it falls flat with him as the protagonist Solomon. Sorry, but Enriquez can’t act his way out of a paper bag. His delivery is flat. His performance is non-plussed and vacant. And we never really understand why he refuses to go look for his daughter – it’s the end of the world, damn it. And you don’t want to see your daughter?
There are multiple continuity issues as well that stick out like a sore thumb, e.g. boat goes down in open water, Solomon and Cairo swim back to shore. They have no gear. Only the soaking wet clothes and shoes they are wearing. Yet, a few scenes later, Cairo is toting his backpack – the same backpack that we saw on him in the speedboat that went down in the ocean.
The big positive with the film though – and yes, there is something positive – is the idea of sea lions eating toxic fish and turning into creatures like those with mad cow disease. Taking it a step further is that people who eat the toxic fish are affected the same. THAT is what Enriquez should have focused on and developed within the story and the visuals. THAT is something that would definitely add some refreshing dramatic and horror elements and give us a real sense of danger; build that up as the big stumbling block to getting to the sanctuary of this unseen cove. The glassy blue-eyed zombies and Luther, as entertaining as he is, just don’t cut it on their own. And to let Cairo go down with the speed boat or get eaten by sea lions – the ones with flippers or the two legged kind – would have proven a gift from the cinema gods. I’m good with either.
And yes, the bioluminescence under the water at night looks really really cool. There’s something to be said for toxicity.
At the end of the day, though, you’ll find yourself wanting to escape from ESCAPE TO THE COVE.
Written and Directed by Robert Enriquez
Cast: Garrett Barghash, Robert Enriquez, Phillip Cook, Dana Kippel, and Eric Roberts
by debbie elias, September 3, 2021
