I knew better than to get my hopes up. We want bisexual and lesbian representation in cinema, but all too relatively few are those titles that both meaningfully give us what we want, and are otherwise good enough to deserve viewership on their own merits. Not to be presumptuous, but I'm pretty sure the number of such flicks that we can call "great" can be counted on one hand. Case in point, I hadn't realized before I sat to watch this that filmmaker Rich Mallery was also the same person behind 2020's 'Sinful,' which I found to be a tiresome, sloppy mess. Unfortunately, while the premise of 2023's 'Felines' holds some promise, it doesn't take long at all before we see how dull, weak, and unimpressive it is. I was very willing to give it a chance, but I don't think this is very good. I look forward to the day when I see something Mallery made and am pleased; I look forward to seeing the cast develop their skills, and proving their worth in the future. This isn't the picture to provide that illumination.
No matter the music laid over top, and no matter the dialogue on hand, the tone is too often bland and middling, achieving nothing. The bare-faced production values are a tad painful on the eyes (though at least, not as bad as what some other films of the past thirteen years or so have given us); Mallery's direction seems meager and unpracticed. Between that flimsy direction and the cast's own seeming inexperience or lacking capabilities, too much of the acting is woefully stilted and unconvincing, even as some instances and some actors are better than others. Mallery's screenplay is even worse, though, giving us forced, clichéd, and far less than credible dialogue, scene writing, and characters. Just as much to the point, the sum total of the viewing experience - writing, direction, acting, wardrobe choices, and perhaps even the cinematography and editing - all reflect the exhausting, glaring truth that this feature offering lesbian romance was built from the ground up with the blunt, tactless, simple-minded, childlike, unsophisticated eyes of a very heterosexual man who goes senseless and slack-jawed at the very idea of a woman, let alone two women together, celebrating their sexuality. With that in mind, it's kind of amazing that Mallery was able to hold himself together enough to make any semblance of a movie at all.
Some facets are more commendable than others. In and of themselves I do like aspects like the hair and makeup, some of the wardrobe, and some of the music. If nothing else is true of the acting, at least it can be said that chief stars Madison Santos and Kate Lý Johnston are making an earnest effort. There are, actually, some very good ideas in the story, not least the tried and true central notion of an abusive relationship, and the heavier notes of dramatic crime and thriller airs. On paper, if imperfectly, this had a real chance. The best value 'Felines' has to offer is just too little, though, and there's a lot of dubiousness that distinctly weighs down that value. Too much of these ninety minutes is highly questionable with the choices that were made, and with the mindset that envisioned it and brought it to fruition. There's nothing this title has to offer that we can't get elsewhere, with higher quality all around; it's not that it's perfectly awful, but it's surely no more than average, and in my estimation even that might be too generous an assessment. A few scenes or ideas are so wholly rotten that they further diminish the potential and my favor. I'm glad for those who get more out this picture than I do, but whatever it is you're looking for, I strongly suggest seeking out other like-minded fare; once you see what else is out there, you'll never look twice at 'Felines.' To whatever extent one could say this has some worth, far more than not it's kind of tedious in too many ways, and at times even exasperating, and ninety minutes seem too long.
Oh well.
