Gemini

"Gemini" (R, 1:33) is a mystery thriller that explores the down-side of celebrity and does so in a darkly comedic and insightful way, packaging it all in a semi-serious who-dun-it. The movie is directed and written by Aaron Katz ("Land Ho!", "Cold Weather", "Quiet City") and stars Zoë Kravitz as a Hollywood starlet, Lola Kirke as her personal assistant and John Cho as a detective investigating a murder.

Heather Anderson (Kravitz) is a movie star, but she doesn't seem very happy about it. She has decided that she doesn't feel like doing a movie about which she is about to have a meeting in a restaurant. She sends Jill (Kirke), her assistant and best friend, to tell the producer the news. After the producer storms off, Heather comes in and sits down, where she is approached by a young woman who insists on joining the two women in their booth and asking Heather very personal questions. In the midst of all this, Jill fields a phone call from another actor who is very angry with Heather about something (threatening Heather) - and the women have to deal with a paparazzo who's so persistent, they know him by name.

When they finally leave the restaurant, Heather wants to stop by Jill's place and asks to borrow Jill's gun so she'll feel safer. The women then call over another female friend and they just hang out at Jill's place. Jill gets drunk, so Heather has to drive herself home (with Jill in tow) and Jill asks to sleep on Heather's couch. The motion-activated lighting then comes on outside. Jill thinks it was just an animal that set off the light, but Heather's worried and Jill ends up sleeping in Heather's bed. And now... the stage is set.

The next morning Jill gets up early to go tell another producer that Heather isn't going to do the required reshoots on a film she completed. Before she leaves Heather's house, Jill takes her gun back out of Heather's purse, thinks about taking it back home, but decides to put it back... and then it goes off. Heather comes running, but isn't upset about the damage to her house; she's just glad Jill isn't hurt. When Jill gets back, she has to call the police to report the lifeless body on the floor. Detective Ahn (Cho) starts questioning Jill as if she's responsible. When Jill finds out she's about to be arrested for Heather's murder, she runs off and, on her own, starts investigating the people who might want Heather dead.

"Gemini" is an interesting, but silly mystery. At times, it's unintentionally humorous, with more than its share of plot holes, but it's fun to try figuring out the truth, with so many possible suspects and scenarios. The relationship between Heather and Jill feels authentic, but the rest of the supporting characters... don't. Most of the acting is merely passable and the characters that the actors play... do things that don't make sense. Wasted potential. "C+"

The first act of Gemini was magnificent due to its inserts of top-notch acting and compelling themes. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie transforms into your typical, predictable, murder mystery which definitively never rightly goes anywhere. (Verdict: C+)

Gemini starts strong. The set-up, if you will, is well done. Tension slowly builds and the event, the "heinous crime," happens as expected. The assistant/friend of the celebrity is under suspicion, as expected. There are some tense moments when questions are asked, and the assistant takes off to find her own answers. After this point, nothing that happens comes as a surprise, or adds to the film. In the end, it's not clear what the movie is trying to say. If it is saying the things that one thinks it is, then it's way too subtle. The events present an opportunity for the assistant to take charge, to have the upper hand, but she doesn't seem to? Not clear. At some point we're to think that the celebrity is a bit evil, manipulating everyone around her, but then again, maybe not. Back and forth, the film left us with a "meh, not sure what that was trying to say." There were also some scenes that did not really serve a purpose, or the same purpose could have been fulfilled in a better way (the meeting with Jaime, for example, or the coffee scene with the detective and Stan).

Always down for a neo-noir, and I won't lie, the poster and the cast definitely got me. Gemini has an obvious David Lynch influence and maintains its dreamlike, ominous vibe for about two thirds of the movie, which is when -- rather sadly -- it turns into an absolute and utter trainwreck. Maybe a few more weeks in the development room would have birthed a more satisfying (believable? creative? original?) ending, but I guess there's no point lamenting that. I won't tell you not to watch it, but I also won't tell you to watch it.

It was good until the end.Lack of depth and simple.