Movie Review: 'Bad Girl'
Cast: Sara West, Samara Weaving, Felicity Price, Benjamin Winspear
Plot: Amy is struggling with drug addiction, relocating to a rural region and unreliable friends. Her adoptive parents are having trouble trusting her and think Amy's friendship with neighbour Chloe is a positive sign - but Chloe isn't what she seems.
Review: Sometimes going in blind can really throw you for a loop. For the entire first act I was settling into the mindset that we were watching a movie about outcast youth seeking their place in a world that won't accept them. Amid the main character being gay, a drug user, adopted and moved an unfamiliar area it seemed all set up to address issues based outside ostracised teens. It was quite a sudden shift to realise that this was a psychological thriller with blood soon to flow.
The two leads make this film work. West, as Amy, walks the line between being an insufferable teen lashing out at people trying to help her and being a sympathetic teen unable to get a grasp on her situation. When Chloe (Weaving) arrives on the scene she's a powerful and striking character and convincingly plays the role of the infiltrator. She becomes downright scary when her true motives and behaviour is revealed, and without giving anything away her purpose is quite disturbing.
To say more about the film and the story it tells would be saying to much. It's a well crafted thriller. What lets it down is a lack of time spent with the characters prior to the reveal that something is wrong. Being an indie film it is entirely possible that this could have been the result of budgetary or time restraints. The movie doesn't exactly rush things, but we could have used more time building the relationship between the characters.
If you're looking for an original and biting thriller, this is worth checking out. A soundtrack composed by Bad Seed Warren Ellis certainly doesn't hurt either.
