Directed byBradley Rust Gray.
2012. Rated R, 105 minutes.
Cast:
Riley Keough
Cara Seymour
Kylie Minogue
Neal Huff
Haviland Morris
Michael Chernus
Jen Ponton
Diane (Temple) finds herself in a part of town she’s
unfamiliar with, having lost her cell phone and unable to stop her nose from
bleeding. Looking for a phone to use, she wanders into the store where Jack
(Keough) works. The two ladies, yes Jack is a girl, have a love at first sight
moment and wind up spending the rest of the day together. This also becomes all
night as they, both underage, sneak into a nightclub. They do some talking,
some drinking, and eventually, some kissing. Throughout, Diane isn't feeling
too well. Her nose keeps bleeding and she vomits. In the morning, she returns
home to be grounded by Aunt Linda (Seymour). Since love must persist, she
continues to see Jack and the girls fall hard for one another. There are two
issues at hand, though. First, Diane appears to literally be some sort of monster.
Second, she’s supposed to be going away to school in a few weeks. Her
tumultuous relationship with Jack ensues.
Though this is a romance, the element of horror runs
throughout the movie. Every so often, there is a cutaway to what we can only
assume is going on inside Diane’s body. It shows hair seemingly growing and
moving through her innards. Between these shots, nosebleeds keep happening.
However, our concentration is on the issues our troubled teens are having. This
includes dealing with the baggage they each brought into the relationship. It
is fairly interesting since the two lovebirds appear to be from opposite ends
of the universe. Diane is confused about her future, her relationship with Aunt
Linda, her twin sister, and which lines she can and cannot cross with Jack. On
the other hand, Jack struggles mightily with authority figures, the recent
death of her brother, how much she should commit to Diane, and at least in my
opinion, personal hygiene.
The problem is that the horror meant to prop up the story
actually undermines it. Initially, it’s set up as if sexual arousal brings
about the physical change in Diane that gives us our monster, a la
Cat People. Later, it appears Jack might suffer the same
affliction. Then, it’s abandoned all together as the movie ends. This means
that our monster is one hundred percent metaphor with no literal bearing on
the plot. This can work. After all, it was done to great effect in
Beasts of the Southern Wild. In that movie, the beasts
were not only a constant part of the story, their plot line came to a head.
Though open to interpretation, they clearly mean
something. That doesn't happen here and what exactly this
creature is supposed to symbolize is murky, at best. Is it supposed to
represent the raging hormones of teenagers? The dangers of teenage love and/or
sex? The dangers of lesbian love? All of these? None of these? The questions do
more than nag. They leave a void in the narrative. What the movie is trying to
say is far too ambiguous, even for me. In the immortal words of the great Roger
Ebert (R.I.P.): “If you have to ask what something symbolized, it didn't.”
I am more than willing to say maybe I just don’t get it.
Someone else may watch this and instantly form some tangible idea about the
monster and how it informs Jack and Diane’s relationship. This is fine. Just
understand that whether or not you can do this is key to your enjoyment of the
movie. Our two leads are intriguing enough to fly the plane. They need the
other aspects of the film to step up and land the thing. For me, that never
happens.
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