Double identité

This is the case of a script that unfortunately leads to an "unbelievable" conclusion. Getting there is not much fun either, as the film plays like a minimal information puzzle. There are zero sympathetic characters, especially the unbearably wimpy husband. Since we never see the rape, which is motivation for the entire contrived plot, our housewife's revenge plan really is trivialized right from the git-go. The rapist himself is never even shown, until the moment of his demise. The entire production hinges on improbable events that simply cannot be swallowed as fact. So, what you have is a tedious build up to a conclusion that is not believable, and a movie that is not recommended. - MERK

This film's extremely low budget is evident onscreen, from the home-movie look of some scenes to the obvious inexperience of most of the cast. For what it's worth, however, auteur Andy Anderson did a lot with what little he had. Lead actress Stephanie Rascoe gives a strong performance; it comes as something of a surprise as one watches because she's not a typical movie star. She seems more like someone you'd meet at a PTA meeting, so it's that much more dramatic to see her enduring a brutal rape and then constructing a new identity in order to exact revenge. The rest of the cast is mostly one-timers and unknowns, though Steve Fromholtz had some renown as a folk singer and Laura (Lauren) Lane later became famous on "Hunter" and "The Nanny." It's the plot that's most interesting here, though it should be noted that it's much more difficult to assume a false identity nowadays, at least partially because of films like this one.

Although this feels like a low-budget TV movie that you might find on a cable channel late at night, it is far more compelling and realistic than its adherence to that much maligned formula suggests. In fact, it is everything a TV movie is not: gritty, urban, slow-paced but suspenseful, engrossing yet unsentimental.

The actors, mostly unknowns, do a fine job, especially Stephanie Rascoe as the misunderstood housewife heroine who takes the law and her own identity into places she never thought possible.

Interstingly enough, the most compelling aspect of the film is the theme of identity. As a housewives, Rascoe's character is often seen engulfed by domestic chores, unable to get over her brutal attack. However, as her assumed identity, she becomes somebody else - a modern day femme fatale type that sits uneasily with the portrayal of simmering domestic inertia previously shown in the film. The ending is still shocking today and one of the most dramatic films you are likely to see. A minor gem.

This is another film of the low budget, barely released,but worth the trouble to look for genre of independent films. A brutally raped woman ,trying to adjust to the endless trauma,is appalled to find her convicted attacker is released early on a plea bargain. Upon touching bases in her daily routines,she discovers different things she can do to escape her mundane housewife and take on a completely different persona to help her resume a full life. This film moves at a steady speed and makes it worth the time it takes to get to its climax and delivers it before just before you are ready to predict it. The film is like a close friend saying they found something and having you come and look ,after taking a long walk to get there,surprising you with his discovery.

The protagonist is consumed by her rape, and hearing that the perpetrator is due for release. Day to day life has obscured the event, but the news of the rapists impending release leads to the gradual obsession with the rapist, and a plan(?) for revenge (I'm not sure if she planned revenge, or just couldn't leave it alone, just had to know more). Her actions in creating a new identity, a new life, and placing herself in the right place are how it would be done in that time period. How she turns into someone that she wouldn't recognize, and how she deals with the outcome of her actions, are why it has stuck with me. I was surprised by the, rather ambiguous, ending; not what I was expecting.