Film: Inheritance
Cast: Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, José Alvarez
Director: Neil Burger
Rating: 1.5/5
Runtime: 101 min

Neil Burger‘s “Inheritance,” with a globetrotting espionage narrative, is shot on an iPhone. So the visuals are choppy and the narrative spearheaded by the lovely Phoebe Dynevor is rather listless and disengaging. The film feels experimental and devoid of any polish.

Maya(Phoebe Dynevor), who is still reeling from the death of her mother, for whom she served as primary caretaker for the last nine months is surprised, as is her sister, Jess (Kersti Bryan), to see their long-absent and estranged father, Sam (Rhys Ifans), at the funeral services. In the early scenes we see her shoplifting vodka, clubbing, and picking up a random guy for sex. So later, when her father offers her a job with his real estate company in Cairo, for which she will be paid $1000, we know she’ll take it up. Jess thinks that the whole thing sounds sketchy and advises Maya to reject the offer but Maya’s desire to further her relationship with her father makes her take on the offer. She also manages to get a week’s pay upfront.