Poppy Jasper International Film Festival–In Human Resources, Hugh McCrae Jr. plays Sam, a nervous nelly who desperately needs a job. His car is filled with rejection slips and crumbled resumes. His luck turns when he gets a call from Brooke’s Hardware. Yet, it’s not quite the job he hoped it would be. There are secrets lurking behind locked doors and a dangerous, unknown force. Considering this feature was shot and produced by a 19-year-old director, Braden Swope,  there’s a lot to like.

McCrae Jr. especially does a good job in his role. He plays a likable sort of everyman, who is unsure about the direction of his life. At one point, he mentions that he’s in community college and wants to attend med school. In the meantime, though, he needs something to pay the bills. If I have one major gripe about the movie, it’s that Sam’s story is never fully realized. Why is he so anxious, to the point he constantly has forehead sweat? What happened in school that derailed him from his dream career?

Sarah José plays Sam’s co-worker, Sarah. She’s another strong character, someone who encourages Sam to live up to his full potential. In fact, when Sam’s offered a chance to work full-time at the hardware store and potentially become a manager, Sarah encourages him to turn it down so he can focus on his path of becoming a doctor. She soon becomes his bestie, offering him the shot of confidence that he sorely needs. I’m glad that she wasn’t shoehorned into the movie as a love interest and instead, stands side by side with Sam to solve the weirdness of the hardware store.

In terms of scares,  Human Resources does have an effective opening, showing employee Keith (Angel Hilton) attacked by the mysterious force. It’s a tense sequence that sets up the rest of the film and Sam and Sarah’s determination to solve Keith’s strange disappearance. However, because of the film’s low budget, there is little gore and a creature that’s hinted at more than anything else. In fact, the most terrifying figure is boss man Brian (Tim Misuradze), who cares little about his employees and screams at Sam when he strays from the gardening section. Anthony Candell  is also effective in the role of middle manager Gene. He’s neither good nor bad and just does his job, following Brian’s orders.

Human Resources could have been trimmed down a bit, and the pacing at times feels too slow. That said, Sam is a character most viewers will relate to. While the scares are light, Human Resources is a solid first feature that showcases a young director’s potential.

6.5 Out of 10