Klepto

I had no idea what to expect going into "Klepto" --- it's one of gillions of low-fi indie films that can be seen for the cost of a Netflix membership and a Web-ready device.

I knew it involved a shoplifter and a disgruntled security guard, so the permutations were going from the start.

I didn't expect the shoplifter, played with a marvelously wizened-sense of "been-there-done-that" by Meredith Bishop, to also be an OCD head case with abandonment issues. I didn't expect her mother to be played by the superb Leigh Taylor-Young, whose specialty seems to be making otherwise small character roles jump from the screen.

In short, the characterizations and acting are what really drives this film. No one is really as simple as you expect them to be...it's not a "this is the good guy and this is the bad guy" type of film. And even though the story kind of went down the alley I thought it would, it still threw me in a very nice way.

If you like well-thought out indie pics, give Klepto a watch. It's 82 minute run-time will fly by.

"Emily" (Meredith Bishop) is a young woman who suffers from a mental illness known as kleptomania which causes her to steal merchandise from stores on a regular basis. Having been caught previously, she is forced to perform community service as her punishment. She also sees a psychologist to help her try to overcome her condition. Then, as luck would have it, she is observed preparing for a heist by a department store security guard named "Nick" (Jsu Garcia), who becomes quite intrigued with her. Unfortunately, Nick has his own problems, and it soon appears that any relationship between them is fraught with difficulties. Now, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this turned out to be a satisfactory film by and large. Having said that, I have to say that even though this movie is billed as a comedy, I personally didn't see much humor in it. If anything, I would probably consider it to be more of a crime-drama than anything else. In any case, I liked the movie and I rate it as slightly above average.

I too have seen KLEPTO and consider the listed review from Austin to be wildly inaccurate. KLEPTO is a self-assured directing debut by a director that has a bright future. So what if he chooses to tell a story through multiple angles? Must every film review of every film begin with the Hollywood formula, specifically that a film must follow a singular protagonist through a specific set of paces that we have all become so sensitive to that we can predict them in our sleep?!

Tom Trail has the good sense to take the O.C.D. psychological disorder and frame it in a real life situation, make it feel as though it could be the basis for those noises you hear coming through your own apartment wall, the life experience of a neighboring stranger you've never seen...His "Emily" as played by the juicy Meredith Bishop with conviction, despite her having to remain frail and unhinged, falls prey to the wiles and incliniations and ultimate scheme of the devious Security Specialist (watch for Jsu Garcia to become the next Latin male superstar in the Benicio Del Toro mold!). It's not at all "heavy handed" as one reviewer previously reported. It's a dance of sorts, the way "Nick" inserts himself into Emily's life right as her neurotic mother comes to stay for an unwanted visit.

For me it was the fascinating and visually strategic lines of two people paths coming together, becoming inextricably intertwined, that was so fun, so involving. This succint (the flick is a brisk 84 minutes) and astute character study breaks out of the gate at race horse's pace and never lets up! The photography, the smaller supporting roles, the music (some of it performed on a classical piano even!), and one of the best single take "long shots" of the year (eat your heart out Scorsese!) all approximate the material to the perfect degree. This film is like a complicated meal, one with many ingredients, all vital to its final finish as a dish...nothing is peppered in here with the "heavy hand" suggested by the previous reviewer and the result? Delicious and full of depth.

Find this film, whatever it

I've only seen Meredith Bishop in this, had never heard of her, or of Klepto before. But I have to say, she is cute here. It's a well acted movie, quite ambient in feel, with a mostly sunny disposition. I own Klepto, mainly because I like the atmosphere, and partly for Meredith's character, which is played realistically, and is pretty down to earth.

A nice and quite simple indie. Happy to have discovered it.

In Los Angeles, Emily Brown (Meredith Bishop) is a kleptomaniac and addicted in pills that misses her father and is having therapy sessions trying to resolve her compulsion. She has a record in the police for shoplifting, and her mother Teresa (Leigh Taylor-Young) is a compulsive shopper. The security guard Nick (Jsu Garcia) of the Bernstein's department store sees Emily through a camera and becomes fascinated for her. When Nick gets in trouble dealing ecstasy, he presses Emily to help him in a robber of Bernstein.

"Klepto" is a low budget movie, with an attractive story and good performances. Emily Brown is a shoplifter but the viewer feels sympathy for her nice character. Even the small time crook Nick is a sympathetic character. The conclusion is not romantic but fits perfectly to the story. In the end, "Klepto" is a good entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Clepto"