Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is based on actual events and the book “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan” written by foreign correspondent Kim Barker.

Dissatisfied with the state of her career covering low-profile stories, television journalist Kim Baker (Fey) agrees to take an assignment in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Assigned low-budget living quarters with other international journalists, she befriends international correspondent Tanya (Robbie) and freelance photographer Iain (Freeman). Aided by her Afghan ‘fixer’ Fahim (Christopher Abbott), and American Marines commander General Hollanek (Thornton), Kim develops relationships with the locals, the marines and the Afghan government.

This film is absolutely fascinating, following the development of Kim’s career and her addiction to danger. It is also an investigation into a massive cultural divide, not only between America and Afghanistan, but a female journalist investigating the Taliban. Tina Fey, comedy goddess of “30 Rock” and “SNL” fame, gives us the performance of her career, demonstrating her spectrum as a fully rounded and spectacular actor.

I love this film. Everything about it – cast, plot, soundtrack, cinematography – is perfect. It is funny, dark, exciting and moving. It shows us the rarely seen reality behind the camera, the lives of the journalists, the humanity of suffering, and the crisis of war, highlighting the disaffected numbness of the audience to the atrocity of war. Aptly titled WTF.

Running away from her life with her fiancé in the city, Michelle (Winstead) is involved in a car accident. When she wakes up she finds herself trapped in a bunker with two men. Howard, played by the illustrious John Goodman, is a hulking man with a temper who owns the bunker, and claims that they cannot leave due to some kind of mysterious attack on the outside world, which has rendered the atmosphere toxic. Also inside is Emmet (Gallagher Jr.), an earnest young man who was Howard’s neighbour before the attack.

Trapped in the bunker, the film plays out as a chamber piece between the three characters as they try to reconcile their life together in the bunker. For Michelle, the question of whether to trust Howard or not drives her to try everything she can to learn the truth for herself… a truth that eludes her at every turn. The dynamics at play between the characters, driven by excellent performances of a tight script make the film a rollercoaster of emotion as we try to piece it all together alongside Michelle. The film punctuates its seat-clenching tension with moments of humour and surprising sweetness, as well as gut-wrenching moments of shock.

The film is a testament to the talents of first time director Dan Trachtenberg, and a career-high performance for John Goodman. 10 Cloverfield Lane is a masterwork of a modern thriller which executes its high-concept premise more effectively than any other in recent memory.