Cassady McClincy Zhang as Dani, arms crossed, alone under blue light at night

The Snare

A crime thriller inspired by true events.

Dani, a straight-A student from the wrong side of the tracks, faces a shattering choice when she is arrested with a small amount of drugs, forcing her to choose between the future she has worked so hard to create and the people she loves most.

100% Freshon Rotten Tomatoes
Cinequest 2025Audience Award, Best Genre Film
Cordillera 2025Best Feature
Hell’s Half Mile 2025Audience Award
“A forceful crime drama.”
Glenn Kenny · The New York Times
Official trailer

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A detective stands by a police cruiser in a parking garage
Premiered at The Playlist
100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

What critics are saying

The performance

“Played with a mastery of registers by Cassady McClincy Zhang.”

Glenn Kenny · The New York Times

“McClincy Zhang, in a star-making performance, is the centerpiece of this intense thriller.”

Barry Wurst · Hollywood in Toto

“A performance that is both radiant and gripping… she is without a doubt one to watch.”

Morgan Rojas · Cinemacy

The direction

“Camozzi’s stark drama is steeped in truth and toughness.”

Randy Myers · The Mercury News

“Camozzi’s visual restraint gives The Snare much of its force.”

Marcus Thorne · Gazettely

“As sharp as razor wire and gritty enough to keep the viewer’s stomach in knots until the very last scene.”

Barry Wurst · Hollywood in Toto

The substance

“A potent critique of the tactics used to fight the seemingly never-ending war on drugs.”

Glenn Kenny · The New York Times

“A sharp critique of a justice system willing to exploit vulnerable teenagers to improve arrest statistics.”

Louisa Moore · Screen Zealots

“The rare crime thriller that interrogates the system.”

MovieJawn
“Fundamentally, this was a story about young people, thrown into high-stakes situations, with no one to turn to for help.”Merlin Camozzi · Writer / Director
Cast

Principal cast

Cassady McClincy Zhang as Dani, leaning on a chain-link fence on a small-town street
Dani

Cassady McClincy Zhang

Best known as Lydia on The Walking Dead. Currently a series regular on Tracker. Additional credits include Castle Rock, Ozark, Chicago Med, and Love, Simon.

Best Lead Performance
Cordillera 2025 · Hell’s Half Mile 2025

Dempsey Bryk as Marty, in a ball cap in front of an open car hood
Marty

Dempsey Bryk

Currently a series regular on We Were Liars. Additional credits include Going Dutch, Willow, The Birch, Heartland, and Mary Kills People.

Faye

Lucy Walters

Power, Get Shorty, The Blacklist, and Winning Time. Films include Tesla, Boarding School, and Here Alone.

Ted

Royce Johnson

Sgt. Brett Mahoney in The Punisher, Daredevil, and Jessica Jones. Also The Blacklist, For Life, and Demolition.

Sam

Dominic Bogart

American Primeval, Fear the Walking Dead, Just Mercy, The Glass Castle, and The Birth of a Nation.

With Elizabeth Stahlmann, Joaopaulo Malheiro, Esther “EZI” Zyskind, Anire Amoda, Sam Katz, and Sojourner Brown.

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