Fine Dead Girls

I’m the first to admit I don’t take my reviews seriously enough. But the democratic nature of the Internet allows anyone to express their opinion as loudly as the next critic, and mine is no more valid than those of the morons arguing about Passion of the Christ on imdb message boards, except that I can spell things. So, I tend to pepper my reviews with tangents and the occasional pun to amuse myself and distract from the dullness that film studies have blessed me with. And then I run into a movie like Fine Dead Girls which, with its themes of homosexuality, murder, abortion, rape, and racism, is likely to get me firebombed if I so much as snicker. It’s like making fun of crib death.

So, I’ll abandon the traditional formula and just deal with the film, instead of forcing metaphors, because Fine Dead Girls deserves the respect. It’s a dark film, seedy, depressing, and bleak without being mean. Apparently the first Croatian film with homosexual protagonists, the film follows a lesbian couple who move into what appears to be the apartment building from Demons mixed with Rosemary’s Baby. Things don’t immediately go bad, but there’s never any doubt that they soon will, which draws attention like a gravity well. As things go slowly from bad to worse, the film drowns the viewer in depression, cramps the muscles with tension, and leaves the scent of blood in the water.

Director and co-writer Dalibor Matanic wastes no time, and the film’s taut 77 minutes are just about all one can handle before reaching for Valium and a shotgun. As desperate plea for tolerance, the film is admirable, though one can’t help the notice traditional homosexual stereotypes inadvertently creeping into the script. For one, one of the lesbians looks like k.d. lang at soccer camp, and the other is eventually set straight through indescribable means. But Fine Dead Girls is a noble effort nonetheless. Technically, the film looks better than you might expect. Though the plot sounds seedy and vaguely pornographic, the dark cinematography looks neither muddy nor cheap. Performances, especially by Kresimir Mikic as Daniel, the landlady’s son, are strong and convincing, making sure that the film’s powerful themes don’t become a laughing matter.

The Global Film Initiative’s DVD is widescreen, and features a PDF discussion guide.

Rating: 8 out of 10

alkratina@comicbookbin.com