Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer) is a video game designer; his wife Olivia (Ruby O. Fee) is an architect. The relatively young couple have made good memories together. But their relationship hasn’t been the same since losing their child in a heart-shattering miscarriage. Since then, a grieving Tim has lost himself in his new game, prompting Olivia to propose a getaway to Paris for a much needed reset. But Tim resists, telling her he can’t leave work.

The next morning Olivia wakes Tim with news that she’s leaving him. As she attempts to walk out she makes an alarming discovery. She opens the door to find it walled in by a mysterious black brick-like material. They check the windows and even drill through the walls only to learn their apartment is completely encased in the impenetrable and indestructible matter. That’s the setup for “Brick”, a new German thriller from director Philip Koch.

In many ways the movie stands out for its simplicity, but it’s not without something to say. “Brick” uses its high-concept premise to explore themes of isolation, survival, misinformation, and grief. Many of these themes play out in Tim and Olivia’s relationship which is helped by the solid performances from real-life couple Schweighöfer and Fee.

But the others take form with the introduction of other characters. With no cell phone signal, no wi-fi, and no water, a desperate Tim and Olivia discover that they can break through walls to other apartments. First they make contact with their next door neighbors, the whacked-out Marvin (Frederick Lau) and his more composed girlfriend Ana (Salber Lee Williams). Later they encounter the elderly Oswalt (Axel Werner) and his plucky granddaughter Lea (Sira-Anna Faal). Finally there’s the mysterious Russian named Yuri (Murathan Muslu), a cryptic former cop with some wild ideas about what’s happening.

Each new character comes with their own strength and weakness. Some are considerably more impactful than others and certain fates are pretty easy to predict. The inevitable interpersonal conflicts manage to muster up some drama but nothing we haven’t seen before. Outside of Tim and Olivia, the characters simply aren’t given enough depth to stand out. And despite the good performances, they too often feel like plot devices rather than meaningful additions.

But Koch deserves credit for constantly keeping us guessing. He introduces a plethora of possibilities, each with the potential to explain what is going on. Are they unwilling players in some kind of twisted Squid Game? Is the wall somehow connected to the strange explosion one day earlier? Is it meant to protect them from a cataclysmic disaster? Is it alien in origin? Clues are dropped throughout and finally bring everything into focus. And while it’s not the most mind-blowing payoff, it satisfies enough to make the journey worth taking. “Brick” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 3 STARS