‘The Saviors’ Review: Prejudice Examined at Length in Dark Spin on ‘Rear Window’
How far can our mistrust of one another take us? That’s the question at the center of Kevin Hamedani’s The Saviors, a paranoid comedy-thriller hybrid that enjoyed its world premiere back in March at the 2026 South by Southwest Festival and a recent showing at Sitges Film Festival. Starring Adam Scott, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, and Nazanin Boniadi, The Saviors might be too drawn out and dry in its examinations of prejudices overt and internalized for some; but for those who stick with the journey, the conclusion is well worth it.
The Saviors’ story weaves a deliberate narrative
Sean (Adam Scott) and Kim Harrison (Danielle Deadwyler) are falling out of love. Their marriage is all but dead, with Sean resigned to sleeping on the couch and Kim having lost any fight to fix it. The on-the-rocks couple rents out their garage to a cryptic pair of siblings of the Islamic faith, the polite Amir (Theo Rossi) and the quiet Jahan (Nazanin Boniadi).
When Sean suspects the siblings aren’t who they say they are, this drives a further wedge between him and his soon-to-be ex-wife. Once Kim starts to notice unorthodox behavior from the two, she starts to buy into Sean’s spiraling delusions, joining him in trying to snuff out a possibly nefarious plot.
Director Kevin Hamedani’s screenplay, co-written with Travis Betz, takes a slow-burn approach that’s in no hurry to rush to the conclusion. This has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the big positives of this approach is that we get to know Sean and Kim quite intimately.
Sean is a man pushing his wife away from his inattentiveness and lack of self-awareness, which has left Kim more or less totally checked out of their relationship. The push and pull of their failing marriage is painful in a commendably realistic way, yet what’s most fascinating is The Saviors shows that what brings them together is a “common enemy.”
Prejudice is weaved into the DNA of America, whether we like it or not. It presents itself in obvious ways, like Sean immediately being suspicious of Amir and Jahan. On the opposite end, it can come out in less overt ways, like the well-meaning Kim suddenly having a hidden bias activated after seeing just enough evidence to view her tenants acting strangely. This shared fear of their “foreign” neighbors being the glue to bring them together is a wicked supposition of The Saviors that serves as one of its best elements. In that way, it’s a dark spin on Rear Window.
Rather cleverly, the narrative and Jon Keng’s cinematography make the audience complicit in the prejudice, forcing the audience to look for signs of wrongdoing from Amir and Jahani. What is less successful is the significant amount of narrative drag on display.
The Saviors too often falls into a cycle of repetition where its just over 90-minute runtime covers familiar ground and resorts to padding that dulls the impact of an otherwise concentrated story of suspicion. This is especially prevalent with the film’s supporting characters.
Adam Scott, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi & Nazanin Boniadi power this film
Kate Berlant is a terrific comedienne who sadly feels wasted as the loud, openly prejudiced, although convinced she’s not, sister of Sean. Ron Perlman and Colleen Camp are quite serviceable in their roles as Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, yet they are never deployed in a precise enough manner to really make a sizable impact.
It’s hard to know what to do with Greg Kinnear’s private investigator character, an eccentric diversion whose humor never really lands.
Really, none of the film’s more overt situational comedy outside the enticing central dynamic of the Harrisons investigating their tenets goes over all that well. Thankfully, that dynamic remains the thrust of The Saviors.
Adam Scott (Severance) and Danielle Deadwyler (The Woman in the Yard) don’t hit a single sour note as Sean and Kim Harrison. Their performances are subtle, true to life stuff, with their frustrations and quirks with each other and with themselves fully present.
Moreover, they don’t play their characters as outright “heroes,” “villains,” “likable,” or “unlikable”; they simply present them as they are. There’s a reason Scott and Deadwyler are considered some of the finest actors of their generation.
Theo Rossi is quietly becoming one of my personal favorite working actors. Following on his sensational (and very different from each other) roles in Bruton and Come With Me this year, Rossi presents another wholly separate, equally incredible turn here. His Amir is a hard figure to read. He’s incredibly polite, though still withholding. Charming, yet suspicious. Rossi continues to evolve his performance, the minute shifts drawing the audience forward.
He’s flanked by Nazanin Boniadi, whose quiet observation of the tension unfolding—and her refusal to clarify guilt—for the audience, adds to the film’s power.
The Saviors movie rating and final thoughts
The true masterstroke of The Saviors is in its conclusion. After agonizing minute after minute of taking the audience through paranoia, Kevin Hamedani lays his cards on the table. Simply put, it brings the entire project together.
In a mind-bending, though retroactively obvious, play, the logical endpoint of villainizing, or even highly mistrusting one another, is laid bare, leaving the audience with a gutting, blackly hilarious feeling. It’s like the best episodes of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, where every stepping stone to get here makes the out-of-left-field reveal hit like a freight train.
As a whole, The Saviors is successful in portraying the insidious effect casting a shadow of doubt over our neighbors can have. While there can be some repetition and the humor with the supporting cast doesn’t always land, the deliberate narrative choices, social commentary, and four great lead turns make for a ride that’s worth taking. Be forewarned; this tale of paranoia might make you paranoid about how you’re perceiving your fellow man.
The Saviors releases in U.S. cinemas on March 26, 2027.
