Author Recent Posts Follow Me Adrienne Clark Adrienne is a writer and editor living in the rain clouds of Seattle. Lou Farnt: It did feel pretty empowering, you know? seeks escape with mysterious 'Val' her new life coach. The various therapy sessions the pair of Lou and Val visit are all astonishingly real: back-to-nature, vibrational healing, rebirthing, and laughter all have their adherents, and after doing some reading up on each, it appears that the words and actions . Serial murder meets self-help in A Serial Killer's Guide to Life - a darkly satirical cross between Thelma & Louise and Sightseers from the creative team behind the award-winning short film This Way Out (Best Comedy, Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013). A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. Val, something that makes the character feel familiar, has a positively sinister aura around her. Repeated viewings of the film only make these narrative choices stand out more noticeably. What A Serial Killer's Guide to Life attempts is a very tricky balancing act. So when strange and strikingly confident new life coach Val invites her on a road trip of alternative therapies, Lou finds the perfect opportunity to leave, and the perfect person to become. Unfortunately for Lou, Val's a serial killer. These scenarios are all interconnected and drive the story forward, without overstaying their welcome. But moments later, when police arrive, Val seems to have vanished. The best part was the end, I'll never get that time back again, only pleasurable part was seeing the actress who played Val, her big eyes and appeal kept me from turning it off. [2], Lorry Kikta of Film Threat wrote "[a] bone-dry dark horror-comedy, A Serial Killers Guide to Life, is I Heart Huckabees meets American Psycho by way of Thelma and Louise. Unfortunately, Val happens to be a serial killer and before you know it the bodies are piling up and Lou is soon way in over her head. A SERIAL KILLER'S GUIDE TO LIFE DIRECTOR: STATEN COUSINS-ROE / SCREENPLAY: STATEN COUSINS-ROE / STARRING: POPPY ROE, KATIE BRAYBEN, BEN LLOYD-HUGHES, SINEAD MATTHEWS, SIAN CLIFFORD, TOMIWA EDUN / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 13TH A young woman struggling to find her place in the world turns to the world of self-help. The short film, starring Poppy Roe, Katie Brayben, Sarah Ball, Christopher Gilling, and Adam. As the movie opens, Lou, a twenty-something who still lives at home with her miserable mum, is listening to a self-help/motivational tape while doing a beach walk on the southern coast of England. Poppy Roe and her drama-school schoolmate Katie Brayben starred. Almost pumping into a man walking in the opposite direction, she is immediately brought out of her bubble. I'm not sure why it has such a low rating to be honest! [4][5] The film received favorable reviews.[2]. The theme is also telling us the writer how hateful those life coaches can be and some human being to be so [8], After premiering at the London FrightFest Film Festival on 24 August 2019,[3] it later played at such festivals as England's Grimmfest: Manchester's International Festival of Fantastic Film[9] and Fantastic Film Festival Australia. Her indecision passes quickly. Val calls Lou the best student she's ever had. Staten Cousins Roe had a vision for this film and it's nothing short of brilliant. Life is like a box of chocolates, Noah said, all the crappy ones get left behind.. The husband stumbles onto the scene and tries to escape into the yard, but Val, wielding the knife, catches him. This had a promising start, and it grew somewhat into its second act, but when it came time for the third act, it just wrapped up with a cop-out ending that had been done too many times before. A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. Bravo Mr. Roe for doing just that, the writer, the producer, the director, damn even the editor, absolutely a gem that I would be proud to show anyone looking a good recommendation. A Serial Killers Guide to Life is bookended by brief platitudes from fictional motivational speaker Chuck Knoah. Absolutely wonderfully acted by Katie, Poppy, these 2 have such great on screen chemistry, but let's be honest , Poppy Roe steals the screen every time she's on it, the faces she gives because us, the audience know what she is and what she's up to, just the perfect face every single time, cold and calculated in her planing, but she didn't expect for Lou to be the one to be her partner in all of it. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a . But, you guys. https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1084180975-modernhorrors-death-dying-and-other-things-episode-56-message.mp3. Instead of your standard "Thelma and Louise" message against patriarchy, Lou and Val travel across the country attending self help groups and murdering the leaders. The same can be said for Poppy Roe as she does a great job bringing the character of Val to life. Sian Clifford . It is here that we discover Val is a killer. Despite a final-act story beat that may not resonate with all viewers, A Serial Killers Guide to Life is a worthwhile pitch-black comedy with engaging character work from its two leads. I wasnt expecting this movie to be a slasher flick or anything, but I was hoping there would have been a lot more death scenes and action in general. User Ratings The service requires full cookie support in order to view this website. On route to their first stop, a nature therapy session, Val kills the petrol station attendee off-camera. Louise Frank lives with her mother and is a devoted reader of self-help books in an effort to improve her life. Roe's Val isn't your typical killer, either: she's guarded, yes, but also nervous. This is a film where I didnt know which way it would go at the outset. | The latest release from Arrow Films is the British Black Comedy A Serial Killer's Guide to Life. He complimented "its two fantastic leads, Katie Brayben and Poppy Roe. Certainly the area of self help guru's (who seem to know everything, yet still need to make money telling everyone else their secrets) should be made fun of. . [6], Shooting on a ridiculously tight budget meant problem solving continuously. Katie Brayben really stands out as Lou and you cant help but feel for her. Whos watching? Very bizarre, very British, very funny, very good! 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Lou stabs Val, who earlier had called the police in an attempt to frame Lou and escape. Weve seen this story beat used more effectively in other films. After engaging in some activities such as tree hugging, pitching camping tests and listening to one of the three other attendees provide evening entertainment by singing a song in Welsh, they all turn in. A Serial Killers Guide to Life Leaves a Trail of Bodies and Gallows Humor. Your email address will not be published. Wow just 9 stars and not a full 10 you ask? The title could have been an interesting one, and the story's pacing and camera language were an indescribable failure.The action scenes are also very simple. Lou Farnt (Brayben) is stuck in her life, with a dead-end job, no apparent friends to speak of, and still living with her domineering mother (Ball). I didnt think that things got particularly interesting until maybe the last 20 minutes or so and I am still not sure if I liked the big twist at the end or not as it reminded me of the ending of High Tension in a lot of ways (which I despised and feel ruined the entire movie for me). Simply film, quite okay, mildly interesting as mentioned. A Serial Killers Guide to Life, arguably one of the best dark comedies to come out of the British Isles in a few years, was recently made available in these United States and Canada on iTunes and Digital HD Monday, 13 January 2020. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a 2019 British satirical horror road movie written, directed, co-produced and co-edited by Staten Cousins Roe in his feature-length directorial debut. film review, Really, though, its Lous growth and dawning realization as to Vals plan as well as the connectivity between the two which anchors A Serial Killers Guide To Life. "A Serial Killer's Guide to Life" (2019 release from the UK; 80 min.) I think that John Waters similarly themed classic film Serial Mom is a much better (and funnier) film, and while I didnt necessarily hate this movie I dont think it lives up to its hype and that I wont be watching it again anytime soon. Note the scene where she picks up a rock and begins to run after a woman. Rebirthing Cynthia. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is structured in vignettes, each one corresponding to a platitude from Chuck Knoah's teachings. It has a very interesting theme (which I won't spoil) that actually speaks for itself with very strong attention to detail, top performances and slick direction. Pacing of the story was perfect with the editing, absolutely brilliant story telling. . Image: Alex Bailey/Prime Video. Production Company Forward Motion Pictures. Val Stone: I think you might be the best client, Lou. Staten Cousins Roe, Previous post: Inherit the Viper Doesnt Bite, Next post: Disturbing the Peace is a Crime, All Original Content 2007-2011 Scene-Stealers.com | Privacy Policy, Stunning The Lighthouse Deserves Your Attention, I Kill Giants Doesnt Inspire the Way its Built To, Danny Boyles New Film Puts You In a Trance, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a beached whale of a film. At home, Lou discusses this opportunity with her mother over dinner. They find him a pathetic wreck, going through a terrible divorce and about to be dropped by his publisher for having no new book ideas. I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy the film's storyline all that much, but I thought the scenery and film crafting was excellent - well shot and edited. Unfortunately for Lou, Vals a serial killer!. This is just further proof that you cant trust anyone online. Ahead of seeing Roes film, Id read quite a few reviews comparing it to Alice Lowes 2016 black comedy, Prevenge, and theyre not without validity: both films see a downtrodden, put-upon British woman in her mid-30s finding her way in the world by murdering those whove either actively or inactively kept her down. Awards There is a believability to their respective characters that shines through the performances. Spoilers The synopsis below may give away important plot points. You did pretty good for your first time. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life sports a really feisty premise, but its modest execution is its ultimate demise. An unknown serial killer offing the favorites of Salem or Port Charles is a common storyline used on soaps, . I didnt think that it was a horrible movie by any means, but at the same time I just dont think that it was nearly as great as all of other people have made it out to be. I recommend watchin it. Lou, in contrast to Val, is meekly awkward. And on that note, these words also apply to the main character. Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes. Although fairly predictable, the story still keeps you watching and wondering where this little journey will go next.
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