Movie For Free : Girl from Nowhere



Director : Mark Jackson

Cast : Scot Cooper , Christia Visser , Tamryn Speirs

Rating : 4/10

 I guess some kind of congratulations are in order, for managing to make a film which is apparently aiming towards the erotic thriller genre, yet fails almost completely to be either erotic or thrilling. The set-up is fine, even if reliant on more than the usual number of questionable decisions. Couple Katherine (Speirs) and Hugh (Cooper) are on the way to their rural getaway for a weekend, when they stop and pick-up an attractive, young hitch-hiker, Liza (Visser). That would be poor choice #1, and is followed rapidly by another one, which sees Liza end up invited to the remote country house. Before you can see “Really?”, she’s found to be carrying a gun, and a stray bullet takes out the car. The phone mysteriously stops working. Liza is also found to be carrying a large quantity of cash. And did somebody say, sexual tension? For there’s supposed to be that between Liza and both of her hosts.

I say “supposed”, since the film makes strenuous efforts to convince us of its existence, at least. But it just doesn’t work. There is absolutely no chemistry between any of the three people at all, something which is quite crucial for this genre. You need to believe, not only that Kath and Hugh would be together to start with, but that both would be open to the wiles of Liza. Regardless of how good the actors may be on their own, and the trio here seem more or less competent, it doesn’t matter unless they are believable. For whatever reason, they just aren’t, and what results is an hour and thirty minutes of going through the motions. Scenes that should clearly sizzle – such as actor Hugh discussing the finer points of screen kissing with Liza – end up flatter than last night’s souffle, and about as appetizing.