Wendy & Vee
2022 · 20m · Australia
Directed by Jean-Baptiste Canac
Genres: crime, dark comedy, thriller
Tones: dark, darkly comic, provocative, tense
Wendy lives with her new partner Gary, whose rough treatment of her alarms teen daughter Vee. When an argument erupts and Vee intervenes, things spiral out of control as mother and daughter make wild discoveries at their family home while dealing with the aftermath.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Domestic-abuse setup that pivots into Knives Out absurdism — risky tonal swing, and the Australian setting at least promises something other than another sad British kitchen. I'll bite.
A domestic-abuse setup pivoting into Knives-Out-by-way-of-Promising-Young-Woman dark comedy — the tonal swerve is the entire bet, and twenty minutes is just enough rope to either land it or hang itself. Genuinely curious.
Twenty minutes pivoting from domestic abuse to escalating absurdist dark comedy is a tonal tightrope that requires sharp editing to keep the audience oriented to the right kind of laugh. Klipist tags it dark/hilarious/thought-provoking which suggests the pivot lands.
Reviews
A nice film, well crafted, provocative, good dark comedy with beautiful performances and a cool story with an ironic perspective.
Festivals
- Regina International Film Festival 2022