[yasr_overall_rating]
Set against the lush landscape of the Pacific Northwest, it’s a film that transcends genre and defies classification – part psychological drama and part sexual thriller.
This sexual indie film is definitely one of a kind. Maria Allred not only directed and produced the film but also starred in it as Sylvia. Julie Webb portrays Louisa, a filmmaker and part-time stripper. After being rejected about a movie idea, Louisa finds herself distraught. She then sees Luke (Patrick Green), a man she saw prior at a nightclub but never spoke to. Throughout this psychological thriller, you are constantly questioning what is real.
Psychological thrillers are supposed to make you ask a lot of questions. However, this was more confusing than intriguing. You can sympathize with Louisa because no one likes to be told that their dream won’t come true. Her and Luke’s relationship becomes tedious, to say the least. There are other commitments that she and Luke both make but nothing can keep them away from each other. At the same time, Michael (Benjamin Farmer) and Sylvia (Maria Allred) have a passionate sexual experience. These scenes are like “Fifty Shades of Grey,” but times a thousand. The BDSM scenes are beautifully directed but fail to advance the plot.
It’s no wonder why this film won Best Cinematography at the Festigious International Film Festival. The cinematography was beautiful, especially the color scheme. There was an abundant amount of scenes that were meant to be watched, two or three times because of how they were captured. There are so many directors that are non-traditional, and Maria Allred does just that. The actors did alright with the script, however, there was too much going on at once.
Furthermore, usually with psychological thrillers, the ending is up in the air for the viewer to interpret. What happened here was they showed you an ending and you thought you figured it out but then there was one more shock. My rating is solely because of the cinematography and her directing. It’s definitely worth watching at least once.
In select theaters June 1st
