Compulsus Movie Review -Fantasia International Film Festival 2022

So interesting enough I really liked the premise of this movie and the subject matter is definitely something that needs more attention and tougher laws for those that purposely hurt others.

The story is around Walley(Leslie Smith) who is a local spoken-word poet. I have been to a few of those myself and usually, others pay attention to the speaker, and instead of clapping their hands, snap their fingers as applause.

Lesley Smith is really good and convincing as Walley, she and her friends have heard stories of a local cook who is abusing women on a regular basis, yet he has yet to be charged, sound familiar? It should because it, unfortunately, is a common ocurrence in our society and has been for some time now.

One night Walley waits outside of the business where he works, follows him to an underground parking lot, and knocks him out.

She cold cocks him and when she gets home, she takes some time to think about what she has done and takes a shower, fully clothed.

There are some really good performances in this film, which is the first time directing for Tara Thorne. The only thing that really didn't work for me is the relationship between Walley and Lou(Kathleen Dorian) they really had no chemistry, I had difficulty believing the one big part of the film as Lou is supportive of her to a point.

But I won't get into that here, what does work and what I found the most interesting fact of the entire film is that the men who are in the scenes are all shot from the back, we never see their faces. 

They all wear a jacket with a grey hoodie under it and jeans and runners. To make a point that it doesn't matter what they look like because it could be anyone. She starts to make assumptions that these men that she randomly starts attacking have done something that they should be punished for.

Lou asks her to stop doing this, she is more than persistent about it to the point that she threatens to break up with her if she doesn't.

The ending was similar to that of Goodfellas when Ray Liotta steps out of the scene in the courtroom and starts talking to the camera.

Walley does that, which was odd at first, and then her friends do as well and really left me with a lasting impression.

As I initially started to write this review it was going to be a hard one for me because it was honestly going to be a negative one.

But! I think I liked it more than I gave it credit for, that is a film that touches on a subject that needs more attention-violence against women, because of the lack of these men being criminally charged, this is a very possible situation that could certainly happen & possibly already has.