Review of The Dead Girl (2006) by David S — 07 Jan 2008

Overall, this little heard of movie was just okay. This is the type of movie that I can respect & appreciate though I do not personally "like" them. This movie has been highly lauded on independent movie circles, probably due to the fact that the independent movies that win the most rewards are usually the depressing ones, and this one is somewhat depressing.

Movie depicts the convergence of five stories of seemingly un related people over the murder of a young woman, the "Dead Girl" in the title. The implications of the girl's murder effect the people differently, serving as a tool to expose the inner struggles & emotional misfortunes that life has dealt them.

Structurally, the film is really well done. The direction by Karen Moncrieff is pretty good for what it is with several scenes feautring nice cinematography. The way the movie ends is pretty cool to.

The script & acting is pretty good too, such that several dimensions of the character are conveyed to the audience with minimal screen time, which is impressive. The cast is comprised of several well known supporting actors such as Rose Byrne, Josh Brolin, Giovanni Ribisi, Brittany Murphy, James Franco, etc; they all give pretty good performances, with Rose Byrne being the stand out.

This movie is in the same vein as "Amoros Perros" in that most of the stories are depressing - which I do not mind on rare occasions like the excellent "21 Grams" or "Requiem for a Dream"- but here it did not really seem as interesting as it could have been, with some stories being much better than others.

Overall, this is structurally a good film but by no means is it an entertaining one.