INDIE MOVIE REVIEW: HEATHER

 HEATHER

RELEASED: November 8th, 2024
RUN TIME: 1:14
GENRE: THRILLER

SYNOPSIS: A philanderer is lured into a kinky encounter by a provocative woman, only to discover she has undergone gender reassignment and was once the boy he terrorized in high school. 

Written & Directed by Anthony Repinski

Starring: Sean Young, Pooya Mohseni, Nick Matthews and Colin Bates

Sometimes you really want to champion a movie because it has elements that deserve to be championed and I'm not just talking in an Indie Sphere. Which of course, it needs the love it deserves for that, but I think Anthony Repinski, Pooya Mohseni and Nick Matthews especially deserve a lot of credit for going for it here.

This movie's setup is very well orchestrated and its visuals are nicely cemented and sprinkled throughout. This movie was exceptionally well shot and set designed. All the mustiness, the isolation, the fears, and the tension build because of that design. I love how the spotlight follows the characters instead of letting the darkness swallow them. That is a lovely bit of skill on display here. The shots are equally majestic, even in the later grotesque moments, in which there are a few, it moves well and edits very nicely together. I love how the camera stills in moments of reveal, I think that is a deft touch that most moviegoers would ignore but because its there, we are in it, and never taken out from it. The lighting is equally amazing, even the color corrections for the flashbacks are nicely muted enough to distinguish its in-the-moment setting. I even like the distinction between the basement and the interior and exterior of the house where this all takes place. A nice hue of oranges and greens that make a nice border for our eyes.

I enjoyed Pooya and Nick's performances and this first act even though it stretches a tad long is very nicely done. I like that a singular moment of dialogue about "good guys" is the catalyst for what we are about to go through even in the later acts. 

Look, I am all for a movie that wants to say something about bullying and homophobia (especially given the current climate we are in) but to be frank, that is difficult for me to stretch that idea into a compliment for this movie. This movie has a lot of rough patches and maybe one too many turns even though I knew where it was going for a while before it did. Again as I have said in countless reviews, I don't hold that against any movie because I am good at figuring these things out. However in this case it has to be a knock because I really felt like it looses some steam into the 2nd and 3rd acts that it tries really hard to get back and just never quite does.

There is a taste of let's shock the audience for shock sake and I am not into that. However some might be, and some might see this and really be sucked in, and that's great. This movie does deserve to get seen and supported and I am all for that. I just wish it followed its heart a little more (I'm imagining Heather touching her locket as she might have read this) because the first act was leading it to somewhere uniquely fascinating and I liked everything about that. However, I understand why it had to go where it had to go and that's the choice it made and I support that because the filmmaker, the team collaborating really don't half ass it, they really do go for it, and for that, I will applaud it all day and night long.  

 CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF HERE

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