Kindred Spirits

Entertaining in a lifetime TV movie kind of way - kind of silly, questionable acting. There are moments that are tinged with that distinctive Lucky McKee vibe but this is definitely not his best. Enjoyable enough if there's nothing else on, just don't take it too seriously.

MarVista Entertainment makes a lot of the movies shown on Lifetime. They tend to be very formulaic, all following certain thematic elements. It's almost like there is a checklist the movies follow, making them very predictable. This movie is no different, having a character with an obsession that the main characters don't see until the end, as is common in most of these movies. And then of course the movie ends quickly, with a resolution that leaves many plot points unresolved. Again, typical for these movies; after the last commercial, you get a quick ending that is often illogical in the way it comes about.

I gave this movie 7 stars only because of the performance of Caitlin Stasey as the sister, Sadie. She is excellent in her role. So much so that I am going to seek out other work she has done to see if she is as good in them, too. This movie, while so very stereotypical, is worth seeing just for her performance.

As an aside, MarVista also makes many of the movies shown on the Hallmark Channel. They, too, follow a certain formula, one that is entirely different from the one used for Lifetime movies. Anyone who has seen any Hallmark movies knows what I mean. Each channel has its own audience, I guess, and the movies are made to satisfy the types of audiences drawn to either Hallmark or Lifetime. Or both; I don't doubt there are people that enjoy both channels and the types of movies each channel features.

This story is what is referred to, as a "guilty pleasure", or a guilty waste of time. It's a silly, emotionally-manipulative waste of time, which starts out fairly good and degenerates into more and more "wacko", as it goes along. The crazy plot keeps your inner "bad news junkie" salivating, even though you know, you're being taken for a ride,"over the top". Near the end, I actually thought, that it was going to go off formula, which surprised me, but it was just a tease. It actually went back to the expected script, amazingly, in a most awkward and unexplained manner.

The premise wasn't that bad. The dialog was weak. The normally decent actors were brought down by bad writing and poor direction. The ending was garbage. I wish Lifetime movies came with some kind of warning label.

Lucky McKee ("May", "Red", "The Woman"), an arguably underappreciated filmmaker, is tearing a family apart in his newest feature "Kindred Spirits". It's not as impressive or dig-deep as "May" or "The Woman", but threads along nicely, offering a neat albeit familiar feeling story. I gotta say one thing though - I don't feel like the movie's poster is very beneficial, the surprisingly cheap looking result doesn't sell it at all.

Sadie (Caitlin Stasey) resurfaces to visit her childhood home after years of absence, to be together with her sister Chloe (Thora Birch) who's a single mother, and her daughter Nicole (Sasha Frolova) whose life Sadie saved 10 years before. Soon enough we discover that Sadie's past and traumas has affected her badly & she starts manipulating her family and everybody around them to achieve her ill minded goal. The story flows evenly, takes frequent turns, makes you feel some effort behind it and the surrounding atmosphere. The problem, however, is that despite the fact that all of the elements work at least on a decent level, the very same elements also feel familiar, rehashed and rather uninspiring. Messed up child/mother/sister/daughter/lover dynamics, dysfunctional family themes, dangers of obsession, little bit of that Hitchcockian feel, but not much originality. The most underwhelming part is the ending, the filmmakers optioned for the one I easily predicted during the first half an hour, the one that probably most did. A little awkward, the ending was. Nevertheless, "Kindred Spirits" also offer up decent performances by all the lead ladies & certain indie scene fans will appreciate seeing Macon Blair. Visually the considerably low budget can be seen clearly and often, in cinematography, editing and in the lack of action or creative camera work, but McKee still successfully manages to make it all worthwhile. The original score was decent, I can't say that about all horror movies on the same budget level.

"Kindred Spirits" most definitely isn't a bad movie, but it also feels underplayed, as if the potential has not been fully realised. That, plus the familiar story & characters along with the low budget makes up an average suburban thriller that's less than a sum of its good parts. Recommended to the fans of the cast & Lucky McKee. My rating: 5/10.