Practically an anthology of five short films that share plot and thematic similarities, this gripping independent production shows how one particular brutal death effects many lives as well as universal issues of life and death. Director and writer Karen Moncrieff, whose first film BLUE CAR dealt with dark, touchy emotional territory as well, brilliantly constructs an episodic feature that feels like a whole, but could conceivably work as parts. This is a remarkably good film.
The story begins with Arden (Toni Collette, THE NIGHT LISTENER), a mousey woman who cares for her bedridden and mentally abusive mother (Piper Laurie, CARRIE), finding the mutilated body of a woman in a field. The media attention that surrounds the murder just upsets Arden's mother more and brings Arden to the attention of an intense, tattooed grocery store worker named Rudy (Giovanni Ribisi, SKY CAPTAIN), who is obsessed with serial killers.
From that story we move to the tale of Leah (Rose Byrne, WICKER PARK), a medical student who works at the morgue and believes that the dead girl may be her sister, who disappeared 15 years prior. This possibility doesn't bring sadness to her, but relief, because her life has been consumed by the obsession of her parents (Mary Steenburgen, WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE?, & Bruce Davison, X-MEN) to find her sister. Can she find joy again, possibly with fellow medical student Derek (James Franco, SPIDER-MAN)?
Next we meet Ruth (Mary Beth Hurt, LIGHT SLEEPER) and Carl (Nick Searcy, NELL), a couple who seem on the brink of disaster. The only problem is that they've probably been that way for decades. It's a relationship that breeds and supports resentment and hate. But will the status quo change once Ruth discovers Carl's secret?
The next story is hinted at in Leah's tale. Melora (Marcia Gay Harden, MYSTIC RIVER) has traveled from Washington to California to identify the body of her dead daughter. Wanting to find out more about how her child had been living her life since leaving home, Melora visits the sleazy motel she lived at and meets her prostitute roommate Rosetta (Kerry Washington, RAY). As she peers into her daughter's life, she is heartbroken with what she finds and gains some hope when secrets are revealed.
The final story is that of the dead girl, Krista (Brittany Murphy, CLUELESS). The story chronicles the sad events that led up to her demise, which includes her jerky boyfriend/john Tarlow (Josh Brolin, GRINDHOUSE).
Filled with powerful performances, the amazing cast shines with well-defined characters and compelling conflicts. Any person wanting to make a short film should study THE DEAD GIRL. Each episode shows the depth and dramatic weight that can be gained in an efficient amount of time. Collette is stellar as usual. Laurie reminds us why her mother role in CARRIE is one of the great cinema villains. Ribisi gives one of the best performances of his career. Byrne, acting in the most dramatically interesting segment, again affirms her talent, which is on display in all her work. Hurt commits herself to a nuanced performance that took a lot of bravery to pull off. Harden plays a part that echoes her work in MYSTIC RIVER and rivals her Oscar winning work in POLLACK. Washington proves once again that she is one of the best young actresses around. And finally, it must be said that Brittany Murphy gives the best performance of her career. It's a transformative accomplishment. You will not look at her the same way after seeing it. She is simply remarkable.
The look of the film with its dark shadows and muted colors fits the tone of the tale nicely. There is a depressed air that hangs over many of the scenes. The film is sad, but never lacks hope. In saving Krista's story for last, the film builds perfectly to a bittersweet emotional climax. Though we know what is coming, it doesn't change the resonance. Again, thank Ms. Murphy for that.
This film deserved a wider audience. It's too morbid for the tastes of Oscar, but it's three Independent Spirit nominations for best director, best feature and best supporting actress (Hurt) were well deserved. This is a little film too be treasured. Many films deal with death and serial killers, but few deal with those issues in such original and thought-provoking ways as this film, which embraces our natural curiosity with death and violence without dwelling on the gory details.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
