An aging rocker running a hair salon attempts to capture one last glimpse of fame. A chance meeting with a young fan starts off making his life better until things take a serious turn.
Directed by Harley Di Nardo who co-wrote with Stacy Hullah, Dead Envy in an exploration of fame and what it can do to those who have it, had it, seek it, and envy it. The story develops at a good pace and takes characters that are somewhat likable to very likable and makes them people the viewer wants to see evolve in this story. The interactions feel human and real, showing people being people, not just characters that have it all and are completely unreal. Here the people are people that are relatable and realistic, particularly Cecily Tangiers, the lead’s wife, who is the most likeable and relatable, in big part due to the performance by the actress playing her.
In the part of Cecily, actress Samantha Smart gives the best performance of the film. She’s natural and nuanced in her work and she shows so much talent. Her scenes steal the show and her presence is magnetic. She has something that reminds of Rose Byrne and she uses her talent in a perfect way for the part. She’s a great anchor for the film and is definitely a great reason to watch the film. Playing the lead is director/co-writer Harley Di Nardo who does good work but can’t help but be eclipsed by Smart and her performance as they share many scenes. His work here is decent and on point, a performance that works for the character. Playing the young man he meets in a bar and befriends to find out he has an agenda is Adam Reeser who is creepy from the start and shows the right amount of is he good or is he bad type of vibe. His performance does toe the line of “too much” at time, giving a big of an exaggerated performance here and there but it works for the most part. He’s playing a man who might just be unhinged and he does so with interesting artistic choices.
The film takes the story and performances and highlights them with its visual style that is mostly straight forward and more importantly, particularly to the story, the music which is part music by the lead character, part score. The mix works well and gives the film a vibe that goes with the struggling musician story mixed with the thriller aspect of the story’s other parts. The mix is something that works great here and gives audio appeal and cues to help the film move forward and connect with the viewer.
Dead Envy is a fairly fun thriller that does maintain a good amount of suspense, especially in scenes between Adam Reeser and Samantha Smart. The latter’s performance is the highlight of the film, making her the star even though she’s a supporting character, letting her steal scenes and just shine throughout even though the film is about director Harley Di Nardo’s character. Her presence is special and gives the film that little extra oomph it needs.