Writer-director Chad Faust’s new thriller Girl is set to arrive later this month. Ahead of the release, I got my hands on a copy and I’d like to share my thoughts with you.
Bella Thorne stars as a young woman seeking out the father that assaulted her mother when she was a kid. She’s learned that he’s threatening her mother and she’s begun a journey to put an end to it. But things may not be as they seem. When she arrives she discovers something disturbing and becomes the target of two brothers who desperately want the cash her father has hidden somewhere on his property.
WARNING: mild spoilers ahead.
Thorne’s character arrives on a bus in the backwater hell hole of a town where her father lives. The town is mostly shuttered. It’s the type of place where people are born into struggle and suffering and rarely are able to escape. A place where everyone is broken and the only thing to do is drink away their troubles at the local bar, the only place that seems to be open in the town.
Bella Thorne plays a young woman who has struggled all her life and suffered from the absence of her father. She’s been lied to. Between not having her father and her mom’s endless string of loser boyfriends, she’s grown up tough and a bit cold. But who could blame her after a lifetime of disappointment? There’s a major twist in the film that triggers a chain of events where the character’s determination to get answers is put to the test. Thorne’s role in this film is one of her best to date. She’s a bitter, ax toting badass that somehow remains realistic, and sympathetic, which is hard to do. While Thorne’s character isn’t terribly likable you feel for her, and you cheer for her. You want her to survive and find some level of justice.
I am happy to see Mickey Rourke is action again, even though his character is a cold, corrupt, brutal, psychopath. Playing the role of the local Sherrif, Rourke nailed the character who is truly a man you wouldn’t want to meet. Looking like a hybrid of a cowboy and Crocodile Dundee, it only takes one look to realize this guy is a bad man. In fact, bad doesn’t even begin to cover it. The entire town is terrified of him and rightfully so. Rourke invested a lot of himself in this role. He dove deep and it shows. He makes a great villain.
Faust not only wrote and directed the film but also stars as “Charmer,” the type of man every small town has. He’s a ladies man but has no problem beating the crap out of a woman in the blink of an eye. He’s the kind of guy who thinks he’s god’s gift to women, but who doesn’t have a pot to piss in. He’s a man child with no responsibilities, who thanks the law doesn’t apply to him. You get that greasy feeling just watching him. Faust was more than a little convincing in his role. Faust made Charmer believable, in fact, living in a small town myself, I’ve met many men just like him.
I’m not spoiling for you, but I will say the twist in the film is messed up on so many levels. It leaves you disturbed, in shock, and heartbroken for Thorne’s character. There are consistent great choices made by Faust throughout the film and it was fantastically executed.
My only real complaint with Girl is the soundtrack. The final song was not a good choice. It sounds distorted and muffled in a way. But it in no way ruins the movie.
Overall, Girl is a great film. It’s twisted and brutal, and it keeps you on your toes. If you are looking for a dark thriller with a ton of twists, I highly recommend Girl. You can find it in select theaters and on Video On Demand on November 24, 2020, from Screen Media.
