Going through the stage of being a teenager can be tough; what with all the hormonal and physiological changes that occur in one’s body. Add to that an out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon turning your life upside-down as well as other teens disappearing throughout your town and you’ve got the recipe for a coming-of-age disaster. Jennifer Reeder brought her latest film, “Perpetrator”, to Fantasia Festival as it made its Canadian premiere.
Jonny (Kiah McKirnan) is 17, soon to be 18, who is sent to her aunt Hildie’s (Alicia Silverstone) after her father becomes increasingly overwhelmed and cannot manage to take care of his daughter anymore. There, she will learn of the mysterious and shocking changes happening to her body and of its long history in her family’s lineage. At the same time, other teenage girls are vanishing in this new city in which she now resides. Perhaps Johny will be able to have an impact on these disappearances. Perhaps she can help bring the perpetrator to justice.
Writer/director Jennifer Reeder (“Knives and Skin”, a segment in “V/H/S/94” and “Night’s End”) brings forth a coming-of-age tale, intermingled with supernatural powers, while hunting down a killer who has been kidnapping teenage girls from a high school run by a misogynistic principal. Seems like a lot to take in? That’s because it is. As much as there is a lot of creative potential present in Reeder’s film, it just feels like too many ideas thrown around that don’t necessarily fit together harmoniously once the puzzle is complete. The fact that the main character is gifted with a superhuman gift isn’t even the issue; horror fans have embarked on much more farfetched rides before. It’s that when the audience is getting used to one notion in the storyline, there is a completely new and different concept superposed, just to make way for another wild idea layered on top. The script has enthusiastic intentions, but simply seems confused and chaotic, making it frustrating for the viewers and fading their interest.
That being said, the cast is quite entertaining and interesting to observe. Lead actress, Kiah McKirnan, carries the film on her shoulders with her solid performance. Starting off as a troubled, cold-hearted teen who invades others’ homes to steal their belongings, she slowly begins to evolve (figuratively and literally) once her aunt, played by the excellent Alicia Silverstone, reveals their dark family secret and attempts to guide her into utilizing her newly discovered powers. Silverstone acts with such delicate, yet powerful, poise, always on top of her game as the fully blossomed woman in control of her own mystical characteristics. Together, their chemistry grows throughout the film despite Silverstone having a secondary role.
The title almost seems secondary after the viewing of “Perpetrator”. Sure, there is the ultimate intrigue in regards to who the killer is, why these kidnappings are occurring, and how it will all end. However, most of the film’s focus is on Jonny and her particular gift, which is understandable. The confusing question remains: why highlight the concept of the “perpetrator” if that aspect of the plot feels very marginal in comparison to the central focus of Reeder’s film?
“Perpetrator” feels as if someone threw a whole bunch of different ingredients that don’t truly mix well together into a blender. It is a confusing and frustrating chaos in the midst of the recipe and the end result isn’t all that delicious, which is a shame because there’s a whole set of talented actors that get lost in this odd film. Following this culinary analogy, Jennifer Reeder’s feature film receives the score of 2.5 eyes out of 5.