Stray Dolls

Never mind the 'unnecessary' phony high reviews and lame smh "you can tell this movie is bad just by the cover photo" low ones. As a critic with over 900 reviews and 1000 ratings (click my username), I will explain why this film is a gem and undeserving of the current 5.4 IMDb rating. I was going to pass on this one because of the low rating, but after seeing the trailer, and reading praise from 'professional' critics from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter, I gave it a viewing. Wow is all I can say.

For starters, it's no big budget Hollywood blockbuster with A-list actors put together by seasoned filmmakers - you can't compare this film that way. Instead, it's a low budget indie film by newb up-and-coming filmmakers. Writer, director and producer Sonejuhi Sinha makes her first full-length feature film debut with Stray Dolls, previous experience being only three short films. Her writing, alongside novice producer and writer Charlotte Rabate - who also makes her full-length feature film debut with this film, came up with a gritty crime thriller story that primarily takes place in a seedy motel. Although the narrative never really explodes, this crime thriller story is still gritty, suspenseful, emotionally driven and with an unexpected natural tone and profound sense of realism. I'm not a fan of slow paced films, but when each scene is relevant to the story, and isn't long and dragged out, time flies as you're constantly engulfed in the plot. The 97 min run-time was perfect. The directing was spot on with excellent cinematography especially with the color tones in the night-time environment. The seedy motel sets were on point in setting the stage for America's frayed social fabric chasing the American dream. The casting was decent with convincing performances from DeJonge and Thapa as disenfranchised young women determined to seize control of their lives on their own terms. For a B-grade film, the score was surprisingly very fitting, appropriate at the right scenes, and mended well with the well-chosen soundtracks.

Mad respect and props to Sonejuhi Sinha and her entire cast and production team in putting together such a gem. Sinha is certainly one to watch as an up-and-coming filmmaker. It's a well deserved and honest 9/10 from me.

A darker version of Thelma & Louise. Solid acting from the main characters. The plot is flat at some instances but finishes strong.

The story centers around two girls trying to escape the cycle of crime and poverty. The movie does a good job portraying the sense of despair. American dream is just an illusion and in some ways a trap. At times both girls appear sympathetic, but their actions are inexcusable. In the end, they dig themselves into much deeper hole out of which there's no escape.

Not sure why the reviews are so mixed but I found this surprisingly gripping and a fun ride. The leads are unusual and captivating, especially Riz, who really draws you in. Dallas and Riz have an electric chemistry that really starts to cook by half way through. The plot has some unusual twists and surprises that heats up by the third act. I was hooked and recommend it both as a fun watch and maybe even something that sticks with you a little longer than the usual thriller.

Stray Dolls is a taut, suspenseful and engaging thriller from rising-star director Sonejuhi Sinha. When Riz, a 20-something Indian immigrant looking to start over in the USA, arrives at the Tides Plaza Motel looking for honest work, it soon becomes clear that the American Dream isn't universally granted to everyone, and she's soon pulled back into a life of petty crime with Dallas, her volatile but determined roommate.

Sinha's careful attention to lighting, color and tone can be seen in every shot, which lends the film a sense of coldness that deepens the viewer's unease.

The desperation of its characters makes the film hum with a sense of urgency that can be unsettling in a powerful way, as it forces the viewer to examine the comforts that we take for granted by inheriting an ingrained sense of belonging in this country.

Geetanjali Thapa infuses Riz with a cynicism born of world-weariness, but it is Olivia Dejonge's Dallas who steals the show with a combustibility that is electrifying to watch. While both of them could have easily come across as familiar tropes of the naïve immigrant and damaged teenage runaway, Sinha masterfully examines these tropes by cracking them open.

We don't have many examples of female-driven, seedy crime thrillers, and it's important to recognize that even in 2020, almost thirty years after the release of Thelma & Louise, we still have very few female antiheroes whose we can feel good about rooting for even as we're watching them be bad.