Rating: 2.5/5
Famous serial killer Garrick Turrell (AJ Bowen) has escaped prison and is on the path for something or someone. Sarah (Amy Seimetz) is three months into AA, still dealing with her past mistakes as an alcoholic. In AA, she meets fellow alcoholic Kevin (Joe Swanberg), with whom she begins a relationship
The movie has two threads — Garrick’s and Sarah’s. Garrick’s story is non-linear, jumping to moments before prison and after his escape — his journey feels like a hazy phantom on the edge. Sarah’s is told linearly but is frequently interrupted by Garrick’s story
Thematically, the movie explores guilt and regret and how we choose to move on from it
Amy Seimetz is perfect as Sarah, adding a layer of fragility and apprehension that sits just beneath the surface — she doesn’t trust herself anymore, and anything, even if it feels right, is a calculated risk
I warmed to AJ Bowen as the movie progressed — whatever direction he received in the early scenes did not communicate character, so for the first act, he feels like just some guy. As we spend time with Garrick, we see someone who is ultimately ashamed of his drive to murder — it is a compulsion more than a want
In the end, it was the awful directing and narrative choices that kept me from appreciating anything beyond the two leads. The killing just felt like a hyperbolic way of communicating abuse and seemed only there to be shocking. The cinematography is unmotivated in its now cliche mumblecore shake
If I rated it any higher, it would be my projections of what I wish the movie did instead of what we got. Not a horrible way to spend the afternoon, but not a rewarding one either