Tragic: A Review
The director, Chris, delivers a film that transcends its performances with a striking visual style reminiscent of Michael Mann's Miami Vice, erastylized, music-driven, and uncompromising. What emerges is not only a stylish Hitchcock-like thriller but a complex character study.
Rather than painting the central figure as a sociopath, the film explores her through the lens of borderline personality disorder. Her contradictory impulses, seeking closeness through violence, then retreating to preserve independence, create a chillingly authentic portrayal. The script's nuance suggests deep psychological insight, capturing the black-and-white worldview of borderline pathology without reducing her humanity.
Visually, the film nods to Hitchcock, with an opening quotation that sets the tone and camerawork that alternates between aesthetic appreciation and crowd-driven tension. Like Hitchcock, the director uses B-roll and crowd sequences to highlight the seduction of fame, the loss of ethics, and the allure of public approval on the surface; meanwhile, something dark lurks underneath.
The result reminds me of Monster with Charlize Theron: a film about a woman who, though deeply disturbed, is not a textbook psychopath. Thematically, the story underlines that personality disorders cannot be medicated away; they require structured therapy, boundaries, and community. This makes the protagonist's isolation all the more tragic.
Yet despite the bleak trajectory, the film ends with catharsis. The final moments, underscored by music and the daughter's words, invite forgiveness and reflection. It is a suspenseful, empathetic, and ultimately haunting meditation on morality, loneliness, and the human need for connection.
