Sci-Fi FF 2022 Film Review - The Green Woman
Images courtesy of the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.
The Green Woman meanders through a story of relationship problems and addiction, asking its audience to put the visual and storytelling problems aside for a third-act reveal. But should people excuse some less-than-perfect moments to find the diamonds in the rough?
The film is written, directed and produced by first-time feature film-maker Kestra Nebula. It stars Dean Kirkright as Rommy, an alcoholic who writes manuals for a corporation. Rommy’s suspected unfaithful wife, Mary, is played by Lauren Gregory. And the mysterious Green Woman is portrayed by Christine Husband.
The film establishes that the relationship between Rommy and Mary is on the rocks. The two bicker and argue about the most trivial things, an addition that continues sporadically until their first pleasant conversation at the fourteen-minute mark, which promptly turns bitter. Their interactions are almost always unpleasant. Mary teases Rommy and insinuates that she’s sleeping with her boss Lloyd after disappearing for days on end. The source of their relationship’s turmoil is unknown and unexplained. Mary tells Rommy to stop drinking, to get “a real job”, and to get off the couch - despite the fact that he does have a job. In a later scene, Mary tells Rommy to go to a job interview for a position with less pay than his current job. Many scenes like this would have benefited from a second draft. Scenes start and finish with no rhyme or reason, and the conflicts from scenes before melt away after seemingly inconsequential shots of the road appear.
When The Green Woman appears in Rommy’s home, he doesn’t ask her to leave. He fumbles and asks, “who are you?” - a strange reaction for any rational human. Soon, he starts to fall in love with her, instead of being frightened by this woman who has presumably broken into his home and covered herself in green paint. The Green Woman speaks cryptically and begins her b-story too long after her character’s introduction. Scenes with her feel disjointed as if they’re used as a distraction from the main plot, a dying relationship. The film does feature many comedic scenes, one in which Rommy uses a sock puppet to sing “Mary’s a bitch, Mary’s a bitch.” These moments help break away from the strict dramatic structure of the film and help bring some life to the story.
Throughout the film, The Green Woman asks Rommy to commit acts of burglary, stealing things such as copper wiring and solid state drives. Rommy’s “friend”, a police sergeant (Scott Knight), regularly shows up. He asks intrusive questions about Rommy’s life and inexplicably brings up the crimes he committed throughout the film, without any evidence he actually committed them. A redeeming factor during these scenes is the soundtrack: Christopher McLeod’s music is a grandiose soundtrack that anyone would look for in a good Sci-Fi film. The music helps build tension in scenes more than the camera work, and in combination with editing, it almost feels purposeful. There are also many great additions from small Australian musicians such as the great ‘Out Of Place’ by Gardence, and ‘The Last Time’ by Dingo Spawn.
Although the film has a rocky first and second act, the final act redeems many, but not all, of the film's original flaws. It ties up many of the loose ends while also creating new questions that, at times, can be more confusing than the original ones posed. Before the final act, Rommy shows no signs of mental illness, a topic the writer-director explicitly stated the film explores. Rommy’s main issues seem to stem from alcoholism and a toxic relationship, which changes as the film begins to close. The film tries to convey that the presence of The Green Woman is destructive. However, The Green Woman’s influence on Rommy actually seems to benefit him. After she appears, Rommy drinks less, goes outside, stands up for himself, and even cuts out many negative parts of his life. The themes of the film are ever-changing, contradictory, and confusing.
All in all, The Green Woman is an okay film with some fun moments and interesting ideas. Although there are many glaring storytelling gaps, the film manages to hold together, unlike other amateur efforts. The film seems to be emulating a style cultivated and made popular by the low-budget independent film Primer, however, The Green Woman lacks the visual literacy and storytelling ability to pull it off.
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The Green Woman screened as part of the 2022 Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival. For more info, click here.