Susie Searches

Sophie Kargman has written/directed a little masterpiece. The editing, music, sound effects, and the occasional very long take, keep you riveted to the movie. Kiersey Clemons plays the true crime podcaster with tremendous care, she's doing some very odd things very matter-of-fact-ly, very calmly. The twists and turns make it impossible to say much about the plot - indeed, you'll have the most fun watching if you know nothing about it. I found myself wondering a few times, now that I know that, where are we going? Oh...there! The arcs and the lively editing, music, and sound effects kept me glued to the screen, saying what? At times, and laughing a few times.

I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't amazing but it definitely wasn't bad. I'm a little confused by some of the other reviews both here and on another platform who say the reveal was too soon. The trailer literally tells us Susie was the kidnapper so it wasn't a surprise. It wasn't meant to be a "Who Dunnit". It was more like a "How To Get Away With It"...the very end was super predictable. The moment I saw them doing another interview I said now she's going to tell on herself. I already knew it.

Keirsy Clemons gives a good performance. I believe she was in her mid 20's but she's believable as a young, teenagish college student. Her character reminds me just a little of YouTube sleuth Tisa Tells.

It's worth second watch a couple years down the line on a bored day with nothing else. It's definitely not a background filler, so that says a lot.

Clemons delivers a stunning performance here, and the supporting cast is also very strong. I really enjoyed the way the movie plays with genre tropes from both amateur detective stories and slasher flicks. It's almost painfully awkward to watch at times, but that's the point. And while we may struggle to like certain characters at certain times, most are treated with empathy. It's the kind of movie where you realize a moment before the twist what's going to happen, which for me was satisfying rather than predictable. It feels fresh and yet the story holds together and has a consistent tone. Deserves a better rating!

I loved this cheerfully dark detective story. The plotting subverted my expectations several times. The Director did an amazing job of balancing the dark true crime elements while being self aware and funny. The cast of characters were all likeable and quirky giving the events a quaint small town atmosphere. This film deserves more love, and I would love to see more from this Director. Seriously great work from everyone all around. The music and sound design were also incredibly tasteful, and I got both a cute coming of age story mixed with a creepy true crime narrative. The rotten tomatoes critics have unfairly rated this piece so low. The audience got it right. This was a fantastic little film. I haven't seen such good work from an indie in a while.

I really didn't know what to expect with this film. On the surface it seemed like a very tame little mystery-adventure film possibly aimed at teenagers and that general age-range. Delving a little deeper though I could tell that not everything was as straight-forward as it seemed. There was an oddly talented cast who weren't going to sign up for just anything. Also Alex Wolff was involved with the project, and I've noticed he likes to take on roles in darker-themed movies. It was all a bit baffling.

And somehow despite all this I was still kind of surprised by what the actual story was. I liked it though. It was far from being as straight-forward as I feared it was going to be. There were some twisted moral dilemmas and some very dark and sinister characters in the mix.

The other thing that I liked was that I really didn't know how it was going to end. It found a fun little way to surprise me in that sense. This was a good one. 8/10.