NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Unorthodox Crime Saga Explores Angst of Females All Linked to Serial Killer

by Kam Williams

When Arden (Toni Collette) stumbles upon the mutilated body of a naked woman lying in a field, little does she know the chain of events that this discovery is about to set into motion.

First, it inspires the spineless spinster to find the strength to end a dysfunctional abusive relationship with her abusive mother (Piper Laurie), even if it means abandoning an invalid for the arms of a sado-masochistic weirdo (Giovanni Ribisi) with a fixation on serial killers.

Next, when the corpse arrives at the morgue, a grad student (Rose Byrne) working there examines it closely for birthmarks, hoping that the unidentified Jane Doe might be the body of her long-lost sister who disappeared without a trace. If so, that might finally enable her and her parents (Bruce Davidson and Mary Steenburgen) to get some closure on the missing-persons case that has consumed the family for 15 years. Meanwhile, a neglected housewife (Mary Beth Hurt) uncovers the reason for her husband's (Nick Searcy) frequent unexplained absences when she uncovers evidence in a storage container implicating him in eight murders. Upon his return home, she immediately confronts him informs him that she's aware of what he's up to. But when he then flatly denies having anything to do with the series of grisly killings, she faces a critical decision as to what to do next.

A fourth plotline follows the grieving mother (Mary Gay Harden) of the late Krista (Brittany Murphy) as she tries to piece together the reasons why her recently-deceased daughter's life spiraled into such a disastrous trajectory. She finds a sympathetic shoulder to lean on in Rosetta (Kerry Washington), the proverbial prostitute with a heart of gold. The final thread spun in this multi-layered mystery involves a protracted flashback to the hours leading up to the ill-advised impulsive act which resulted in her untimely demise.

Brilliantly written and even better directed by Karen Moncreiff, The Dead Girl represents a rather remarkable innovation in the female empowerment genre, as this sequential storyline offers a spectrum of perspectives of the fallout of a spree killer. For these five intriguing lad characters are not the shallow, cowering, helpless weaklings we're used to seeing in a typical slasher flick, but rather intelligent, emotive individuals inclined to rely on all their faculties when suddenly plunged into crisis mode.

Though relentlessly ominous as it winds its way inexorably towards a decidedly grim resolution, the movie somehow simultaneously maintains an almost optimistic air, since none of the women portrayed here is inclined to submit to victimhood willingly. A compelling cross between a psychological crime thriller and an intricate soap opera.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for nudity, profanity, sexuality and grisly images. Running time: 85 minutes
Studio: First Look Pictures

For More Information: http://www.firstlookmedia.com/deadgirl/

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