Compulsion

This is really two movies which have been hacked apart and sewn back together--like Frankenstein's monster, but with vital parts left out. It could have been a pretty funny black comedy if it had simply played out the character of Amy (Heather Graham). Or it could have been a darkly tragic story of a ruined life with Saffron (Carrie-Anne Moss). Instead, it can't decide what it wants to be, tries to do both, and fails at both. It never strikes any sort of real balance, lurching from low-key comedy to emotionally wrenching child abuse. Near the end, the characters' alliance seems grafted together, rather than natural, relying upon what I can only call a denouement gimmick to close things out. All of the actors do well with their parts. I particularly enjoyed Heather Graham when her character was indulging in her flights of fancy. Carrie-Anne Moss gives everything, but really ought to be in a better movie than this. I know nothing of the Korean original, but surely it was better done than this remake. I give as many as 5 stars because the actors try hard, Heater Graham is a feast for the eyes, and there is some yummy food preparation.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I was exhausted from work and felt like watching a predictable horror movie. This is not at all a thriller or a horror movie. It is actually an interesting buddy film between two damaged women who crave what they can't have--love. One tries to find fulfillment through cooking and baking and serving gourmet meals, compulsively nurturing, and another who is desperate for a nurturer, a bulimic who is unable to eat. It is visually very interesting. Amy (Heather Graham, whom I thought was fantastic)and her TV dreams are reminiscent of Nicole Kidman and TO DIE FOR; the bright colors of her dress against the sterile white fake TV set contrast with dark, dreary tones of her idol and then friend Saffron (Moss). I really enjoyed the lush, gorgeous meals Amy created, at first trying to woo Saffron as a friend and then, sensing Saffron's despondency and loneliness much like her own, attempting to sustain her through food and create some kind of sensuous joy for her. The ending makes this a black comedy, if one needs to label it. The writing is clunky and personally I would have enjoyed seeing a couple more scenes showing development of this friendship but filling in the blanks is fun, too.

We watched it last night, and honestly, it wasn't that bad. I've seen a lot worse. The premise was a bit weak, the acting was average, and the story was transparent. It was almost like a characterture of what the real movie would have been. It hard to explain, but everything was over done, colours, costumes, scenery, acting, basically everything. That is what gave it a "pass" to be a mediocre movie. You can get away with it, because it's supposed to be campy.

I would recommend a rental if you want zombie out in front of the TV for 88 minutes. It's mildly entertaining and the two female leads are pretty enough to keep you interested.

The production was fine. The quality edit, colour correction, lighting correction and so on was done well.

A lot of people worked hard to make this film, so I applaud them for it. Nice work, decent product and no time wasted in production.

It's not a compelling movie, but it's a movie. A simple, nice, different kind of film. Recommended when you want to do nothing.

An enjoyable little film full of the kind of intense and intimate relationships that you normally only find on a stage. Hopefully that will be enough to set the scene as Compulsion is not really a film, its a theater production put on to film.

Compulsion is two stories that unravel and then combine to become one as you really only get the second story after being fully immersed in the fervor and passion of Amy (Heather Graham). Heather Graham appears to have added more a little Nigella Lawson (Youtube her) to her depiction of a voluptuous gastronome desperately seeking acknowledgement and love.

So too does the other leading character Saffron bring a fine set of hang ups and issues played by Carrie Anne Moss.

Both lead actresses set the movie apart from ennui with excellent portrayals of their characters and through their selling of the story. They also looks fantastic (which can't be bad!).

If you take the movie for the play that it is, rather than the blockbuster you might be hoping for, then you should get on fine.

The story of two disturbed women whose lives end up intertwining. Or to be precise, one obsessive and possibly delusional woman and another who simply has had a hard life. When the psychotic of the two, Amy, develops a fascination with her reclusive neighbour, Saffron, she shows it through trying to push her love of food on to her. What follows is a rather bizarre but intriguing series of events.

A great aspect of this film is that I believe it's open to interpretation. Amy clearly doesn't have the tightest grip on reality, in fact we are often shown glimpses into her head where an imaginary audience is cheering her on. Combine this with the plot and characters going in the strangest of directions and the sceptical comments of a particular other character and the film raises the question of how much of it is in Amy's head and how much of it is simply events going in such a unique way.

Admittedly, this film is probably a bit of an acquired taste(ha, get it). It's labelled a thriller, which is partly true but the vast majority of it is a character study. If you like analysing the mindsets of flawed characters, this film is for you. Worth re-watching if you want to look at things from a different angle.