Talent Keyhole

This story grows increasingly suspenseful as the main character Kassandra is read into a black Ops Government program that uses black mail and death threats to keep her from blowing the cover off this dark scheme. She only becomes more co dependent on her girl friend who shields her from the constant harassment and danger. Her sexuality is her only dark secret used against her. Yet the shadowy Government and CIA tries to corner her at every turn to prevent her from becoming a whistleblower. She is determined however to uphold her patriotism and values. Her will is compromised time and time again, as she battles to do whats right.

Each frame of this film was so beautiful and cool, I felt like I was watching a masterful work of art. The sleek style, actors, makeup, set design, futuristic concepts, cinematography, color, lighting, editing and score all came together to create a gorgeous, cold, surreal world that was truly captivating. There were also some innovative, creative concepts in the story that I appreciated and the use of visual effects to tell these were so well done. There was quite a bit of government tech talk that would go over my head sometimes, but the visuals were so stunning, I continued to be enthralled. One of most beautiful looking films I've seen, like Darren Aronofsky level looks.

Kassandra works at a military research facility and joins secret project that tries to extract information from people's minds in this stylish and original indie movie. The story is about the blurring of reality and the filmmaking serves this theme in all its aspects. The look of the film is cool and distant with pared-down locations and sleek production design. The editing has startling jump cuts that make you question the reality of scenes. As both a spy and a sci-fi movie the cinematography evokes film noir and the neon aesthetic of hyper-stylized films set in the future.

The cast is movie star good-looking and sexy. Why can't I work in a place like this? The actors underplay their performances to fit into the overall cool aesthetic. Kris Luna as Kassandra and Karli Isabella Stunkel as Rachel make impressions as detached but motivated characters who surrender to the increasingly complex layers of this secret project. If anything, they might be a little too detached and the direction sometimes keeps too much a distance between them and the action.

But the director keeps this constant tone and it adds to the overall style of the film. This is definitely an original film and the director-filmmaker Michael Lauter is one to watch for his future projects.

With edge-of-the-seat plot twists and relatable characters, Talent Keyhole keeps you wanting more! Edgy Science Fiction with splashes of romance and action. I appreciated the attention to detail and intentional decisions made with regards to setting, wardrobe, cinematography choices. I also appreciated the research that went into accuracy and detail of all things military history and accuracy of security clearances. It is evident that the director knows his actors' abilities and has a close relationship with them. The suspense, tension, appropriate levels of action, and complex character development rendered this a must-see for not only sci-fi and military nerds.

If you took an early 80's David Cronenberg flick and say...something like "Gattaca" the result is "Talent Keyhole" There is some Christopher Nolan "Inception" and 1980's "Dreamscape" thrown in there as well.

Though the title itself doesn't give you a clue as to what it means, they do mention the what it is within the movie itself (I love when they say the title in the movie).

The aptly named Kassandra (Kris Luna) works at a top secret facility that specializes in tapping into minds. She has the skill of seeing into the minds of people and this place utilizes it to find out the reason for a terrorist attack. Enter Rachel (Karli Stunkel), a girl whose parents were killed by an attack in the German metro. Things get hairy when this place also gets hold of a alleged terrorist (Dustin Harvey) who may have knowledge of the event.

Not giving anything away, but they band together to figure out the origins of why. But more importantly, are chased by the shady complex that runs this.

Director Michael Lauter has elected to use a stilted brand of dialogue that may turn some viewers off. The language is stiff and stylized. The blase delivery adds to the sterile nature of the world they live in. The not so near fututre? Once you accept this, it becomes somewhat of a somnambulatic journey.

I appreciate these movies so much, because it feels like a late night cable flick you discover. A Cannon Films production that plays more elevated. There is a TON of information being mined through science and characters that seem primed for cinema. Kay is a sharp cookie. Though a lot of her dialogue seems written, she delivers it with a straightforward nature devoid of emotion. A Stepford wives quality to her. Easy to look at. Meanwhile, her counterpart, Karli is equally as attractive. They seem to be chosen for the end shots that will make sense. They also seem to be drawn to each other which will heighten the sexual tension. Perhaps this was not the motivation, but it sure got my attention.

The movie is hypnotic. It's not surprise the production company is named Sleepwalking. That is precisely what it feels like. A dream of some sort. As the trio go on the lamb, you feel the empty streets, colors of the town and the dream quality of the world.

The "clean" nature of the world adds to the unease. That the future is being monitored by unseen entities to keep you in line. Throughout the flick, the quick video glitches remind you we are also monitoring them.

If you are a Cronenberg fan, I highly recommend!