Director Mark Tonderai’s first film Hush is a cracking British thriller which keeps Jez Sands on the edge of his seat

Mark Tonderai’s first feature film is a tense, brutal film with scenarios that are all too easy to imagine happening in real life.

A young couple, Zakes and Beth (Will Ash and Christine Bottomley) is driving along the M1 at night, arguing as they go when Zakes sees a glimpse of a screaming woman in the back of a truck.

News Shopper: Film review: Hush *** Hecalls the police but deciding that he can’t do anything more to help, he turns off at a service station where his job is to replace posters. Beth is horrified that he hasn’t done more to help, this being the final nail in their already strained relationship coffin and storms off. When Zakes notices a familiar white truck in the car park he fears she too has been abducted.

What follows is a cat and mouse game where Zakes searches for Beth and tries to avoid capture in an hour and a half of edge-of-your-seat suspense and a film which is far darker than first imagined.

All too often we’re faced with situations where we could walk away instead of doing something and this theme of social responsibility is key to the film. It’s not hard to see yourself in Zakes’s position, but it’s this inability to do something earlier, this desire not to get involved which gets him in trouble in the first place.

Tonderai does a great job of keeping the tensions high: we’re treated to grim, atmospheric rain-slicked shots where all you can hear is Zakes’s breathing as he strives to stay hidden just long enough to get away.

News Shopper: Film review: Hush *** You can practically feel the characters’ hearts beating as they come within inches of being caught. It’s when the film keeps to the plausible that it’s at its most terrifying, when you’re left thinking, “That could be me; that could really happen.”

But it’s much more brutal than is necessary and this actually detracts from the tension of the movie, pushing it - unintentionally at times - into the realms of black comedy. This coupled with dialogue which can seem stilted and scripted serves to undermine the immersion in what could have been a great film.

Despite these minor shortcomings, it’s a gripping movie and admirable for a first-time director. Next time you’re out driving on the motorway, you’ll probably glance a bit more closely at the white trucks driving past you.

Hush (15) released March 13.