Clementine

This film is completely and thoroughly boring. The score is absurd and fills the aura of suspense, but the only reveal is that nothing happens!

Karen (Otmara Marrero) has a bad breakup with D (Sonya Walger) who changed the locks on her and even steals her dog. Karen takes off and breaks into a country house. She is befriended by neighbor teen Lana (Sydney Sweeney). Handyman Beau (Will Brittain) shows up to check on the house.

The first half has a great quiet intensity. Karen is constantly threatened with exposure which does lead to the question why. Why doesn't she simply leave? There is an answer about halfway in the movie. It's a good answer but the movie does need to find something quick to replace the tension. It's a little slow to get there but it does eventually get somewhere. The slow pacing is a double-edged sword. It's part of the movie's charms but it's also part of its problem. Filmmaker Lara Gallagher may be a name to look for in the future.

Terrible, artificial and forced. Overbearing musical score is jarring

I am a fan of slow-burns and I always seem to find good elements in almost any movie, but this film constantly felt like something was about to happen, something was going to twist or reveal itself, but it never does.

This film is honestly bizarre as it literally doesn't have an ending. The movie just ends seemingly randomly without any reveal or clearly signified conclusion. It literally feels like they forgot to add in a scene.

I enjoyed the locations and the odd character dynamics between the main characters, but I kept expecting more from Lana's character specificity. She is built up as a possible liar and complex character, but that is completely thrown out. None of the characters in this film I felt sympathetic towards and I disliked all of them. Unlikable main characters can work sometimes depending on the story you want to tell, but in this case it seems accidental.

I have no idea if the director even wanted to communicate a clear story, all I can do is make assumptions. There wasn't enough information conveyed about D., Karen's ex. All I can assume is that Karen didn't want to repeat the dynamic between her and her ex with Lana, but this really wasn't conveyed in a clear way. Actually, after the final phone call, it seems like the only true victim in this story is Lana herself, but I have no idea if that's how the director wanted the "ending" interpreted. The ending is open, but not in a good way.

Overall, this film wants to tell too much with too little.

Perfectly paced, beautifully filmed and well acted suspenseful story about the complexity of women's relationships and a girl's coming of age. Hauntingly impactful original score.