Perpetrator

I wanted to like this more. But it was so predictable, and that is a strange thing to write since it was also very confusing. It felt desperately in need of a plot twist or aha moment or at the very least explain the surgical butt holes. I wanted to know WHY? Without that a lot of the horror got lost in the absurdity of it all. There was talk from Hilidie of "everyone's power manifests slightly differently, I'm excited to see what yours will do" yet there was never any point where it was distinguished from the norm of whatever they were. And why were there so few pupils in that school? What was the point of filming the lockers?

So, how would I describe it? How about, A pretentious, feminist, faux arthouse movie about, ......errrr....nosebleeds.....periods.....I have no idea.....something vaguely witchcrafty? It's a modern feminist movie, so all the men are either useless, inept or deluded two dimensional characters . The women are, of course, capable, driven and a little more fleshed out. I have no idea what the plot was, what the characters motivations were or what the point of imagery or faces changes were. None. The montages were pointless. The direction was experimental film school drivel. Our protagonist is a thief at the start which has bearing on the rest of the movie. An absolute car crash of a movie. Avoid.

I was a little confused by the plot. I'm still not sure if she was meant to be a werewolf OR a vampire, OR just what exactly was going on! What exactly is a fiend? The scenes of the main girl sort of evolving were a little confusing as it was like a lot of monster movie tropes all slammed together, and hard to figure out just what she was meant to be, I found that the most frustrating part. Whilst saying that though I did really enjoy this movie, it had a lot of atmosphere, and I was visually quite stunning indeed and obviously a lot of work from female writers was used, plus points for that and the female gaze!

Honestly this movie confused me, it basically had a really interesting idea that is unique it could be made into a really good feature film. But the execution lacks in many places. The movie is competently directed and the acting is fine but the really big problem of the movie is that it leaves more questions than it tries to answer. The movie keeps adding new aspects but doesn't explain them and that leaves the viewer unsatisfied. You have lots of interesting ideas and aspects that the movie is introducing but since they are not explained you forget about them or you stop caring. This left me feel very empty at the end of the movie and I was definitely not satisfied with the end product. [4,5/10]

Jonny Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan) leaves her troubled father to live with her aunt Hildie Baptiste (Alicia Silverstone). She doesn't know her or her mother. Her 18th birthday is coming up and she starts a new school. At the end of the day, I don't know what is going on within this movie. This Shudder flick plays its cards really close to its vest. It doesn't tell the audience anything except a lot of questions. That could be interesting for a good while, but eventually, the movie needs to let us into the world building. I'm not asking for a lengthy exposition. I'm just looking for the general layout.

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They swung hard, but this movie was a bit of a mess. It was almost impressively convoluted with so little explanation that I'm not fully convinced that they were even positive what they were attempting to convey. It kept going back-and-forth between awkwardly taking itself too seriously and this weird campiness that didn't feel self aware. The ending, or lack there of, was abrupt and pretty lazy. This felt more akin to the first three episodes of a teen tv series crammed into one that mashed up a confusing euphoria and a not well explained monster high. It generally kept my attention but I feel like it was out of a pure attempt to figure out what was going on. They didn't really keep up, stick to or follow through with their own plot and it ended up being pretty unfulfilling overall. Not the worst movie ever and had some interesting ideas but overall would not recommend.

"Perpetrator" is a 2023 movie that left me thoroughly disappointed, earning a dismal one-star rating. This film fell short in numerous ways, making it an unpleasant viewing experience. The most glaring issue with "Perpetrator" is its contrived and nonsensical storyline. It fails to engage viewers with a plot that is riddled with inconsistencies, leaving you puzzled and frustrated throughout the entire film. The narrative lacks depth and coherence, making it impossible to connect with the characters or their predicaments. One of the major letdowns of "Perpetrator" is the abysmal acting. The performances are wooden, uninspiring, and void of any emotional depth. It is evident that the cast struggled to breathe life into their characters, further distancing the audience from the story. The lackluster acting is a major detriment to the movie's overall quality. Moreover, the dialogue in "Perpetrator" is cringe-worthy at best. It feels forced and artificial, often coming across as contrived and unrealistic. This dialogue not only fails to create meaningful connections between the characters but also hampers any attempts at character development, leaving you disengaged from their struggles and journeys. In summary, "Perpetrator" is a movie that fails to deliver on multiple fronts. Its poorly constructed plot, unconvincing performances, and cringe-inducing dialogue make it an arduous and unsatisfying viewing experience. Regrettably, this film does not merit a recommendation, as it falls far short of even the most basic cinematic standards.