Filmed over the course of one night, it’s hard to imagine “X” being thought of as anything other than a bona fide action thriller that teams two powerful female entities together to battle misogyny and abuse that plagues their life. Though described as this sex filled romp, “X” is so much more in the end. It’s about empowerment and survival and at best, I can peg it as an Australian female version of “Judgment Night.”
Jon Hewitt’s thriller is such a descent in to darkness and madness that the Australian landscape we all are familiar with becomes such a dark and grim coating of blackness and dreary demonic array of faces and colors. Viva Bianca stars as the bad ass Holly Rowe, an aging prostitute who finds herself desperately inundated with requests from midnight callers who want more than her and she is more than happy to oblige them. If only she could find someone else willing to come along for the ride. She then meets young hooker Shay Ryan and persuades her in to a threesome. Before long the shit hits the fan as the client is a wanted drug dealer and they’ve both just witnessed his murder.
Now on the run in the mean streets of the red light district, director Hewitt puts on display not only the coldness of the landscape but the ensuing carnage the follows the discovery of the grizzly murder. While “X” is a strong and taut action thriller the reason to watch it is for Viva Biancha, whose portrayal of older hooker Holly is nothing short of brilliant. Here is a woman who, in spite of impossible odds, manages to kick back and refuse to die at every turn. Her confrontation with disgusting drug dealer who appears at her door mid-way says much more about her character than dialogue ultimately does. And trust me, there’s never a moment where the women can sit around and know each other.
Instead her will to survive kicks in and we learn an awful lot about where she’s come from and what she’s willing to do to survive. Even if it means taking in her young charge Shay who is new to the world of prostitution, who hasn’t a clue where to turn to when the pressure dials up for the duo. “X” is a deep sea dive in to one of the most gritty sub-cultures of the world, a place where survival is filled with futility, and everyone is at the mercy of some monster they’re incapable of escaping. One of the finer films of 2011, this gem is available on Demand under the IFC Midnight label.