Raven-1969
A moody television star, warped cult leader, brainwashed sculptor and newbie bounty hunter combine in a twisty, twisted thriller. Viyada would like her husband to disappear. She casually mentions this to a guy, Guy, she meets at a hospital. Guy offers to help, yet soon is swept away – along with Viyada - in a fierce and unexpected undertow. Viyada and Guy discover, as MacBeth did, that "tis safer to be that which we destroy, than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy." And, perhaps, desperate circumstances bring out the best in people. In any case; cars crash, roles are switched, bodies are found on the road and things get complicated.This charming, sly and quirky film is based on bits and pieces of true stories. There is humor in surprising and dark places. The film is unpredictable to the point that even after the ending, you need to reconstruct events and motivations in your mind to determine what really happened. The complexity, insecurity and uncertainty puts you in the shoes of the characters, which is the key to understanding their predicaments and part of the fun. The eccentric characters are well played by actors who are refreshingly new (at least to me). Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
