Staging a movie with
only two people can be rough, but when implemented with talented clever
writers it really isn't that bad. Films like "Tape" and "Before Sunrise"
have featured cast members with only two or three actors and Mannan
manages to take the task and makes it look very easy.
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Steffani
Pieart is probably one of the finest actresses in recent
memory going whole hog with her character Viola who appears
an online friends house expecting a good time and is instead
force to humiliate herself in front of him and inevitable be
skewered by his butcher knife. Pieart is excellent in
immersing herself in to her character and is never afraid to
bear all at a moment's notice and endure some rather graphic
scenes. Pieart and co-star Robert Webster have an
indefinable chemistry that keeps them lunging at each
other's throats while never realizing why they're both in a
motel room where anything can happen at any moment. |
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Paired with the
score and Mannan's tight writing "Wannabe" is that movie where the
title gives away not one, not two, but three hidden meanings that
only give away the plot if you're will to actually sit down and
enjoy what's on screen.
One of the
major caveats is that for a nineteen minute movie, Mannan's pacing
begins to drag. For at least five minutes I was hoping to see
something happen and while the director strives to deliver a slow
boiled surprise ending. When we finally do get to the climax it's
pleasing but you have to wonder what the hubbub was about. (Major
Spoilage ahead!) Why did Viola need to meet with a man to make a
kill? Why didn't anyone suspect the mysterious personal ad poster to
be a serial killer? And where did he stash the bodies at? Was he a
vampire too or was it just a cover? All questions aside, "Wannabe"
can drag at many points to where you're wondering if we're ever
going to see something juicy or surprising. To top that, the plot
just seems oddly familiar with a story that goes at just about the
place you'd expect. If you ever had the chance, watch "Creepshow
III" and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. In the end I was
pretty under whelmed and understood where the big hook was coming
from right before the big reveal of the twist. It's tough keeping a
surprise twist under wraps especially in a world where movie goers
have seen it all and are almost one step ahead of movie makers in
regards to twists and turns. For shame.
Jim Mannan's short horror movie is a mixed bag of goodies. On the one
hand, the writers expect us to swallow the plot holes and lapses in
logic, and we've also seen this story a few times with no real pizzazz
added to make it original. But on the other hand the performances are
rich, the score is top notch, and the impending carnage by the climax
will entice you to rewatch it again and again.
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