God is a sadist . . .
Swift shot: Vulgar, disturbing, ugly, and yet a very compelling critique of hypocrisy and how the sins and the choices we make define us. A small disclaimer is needed here, as I matriculated with Ali Lukowski at Flagler College. I was also in a small “student film” shot by our very own H-Man. So, yes, I wanted to like this film, because I like Ali. But, I sure didn’t like her character, Sunshine. Mind you, I know Ali (in real life) and I still found myself disgusted with her character at certain points in the film. That’s all you can ask of any actor, make the audience fall in love with the character or loathe the character. Ali delivered, and then some, many times I forgot that was my buddy on the screen.
Russian Roulette (not to be confused with Polack Roulette) is a game of life or death for people who are too chicken shit to just do the deed, and when we meet the main characters, they have taken that down another notch, using liquor shots instead of head-shots to muster up the courage to pull the metaphorical trigger to end their lives. But, as one character says it, “Russian Roulette, that’s our lives. It’s the odds that keep it interesting.” In other words, hey, we are all going to die anyway, so, what’s the point?
A morbid trio makes up the cast. Dean (Mike Baldwin) is a landscaper who is confined to a wheel chair and has his world crumble almost immediately after he proposes to his fiancee. Richie (Will Haza), whose wife and boss call him Richard, is a man who just can’t seem to make life like what it is “supposed to be.” And, Sunshine (Ali Lukowski) is an adolescent in a 25 year-old’s body. They each face their mortality in different ways. But, they might all deserve to be punished for different reasons. While Dean is the apparent ring-leader, Sunshine is the zealot who continues to drive the action . . . and has the most balls.
She lays out the rules of the drinking game, you flip a coin, heads, you bite the bullet, tails, you live another day. As they “play” the game, we learn about the actions of each character that led them to Dean’s broken home. In a methodical series of well timed and paced flashbacks, each vignette reveals more about the characters, developing a balanced character for the audience to either despise or empathize with. You may find yourself switching allegiances throughout the film choosing who you want to die and who you want to live – I know I did! Every time the gun goes – Click – you want to look away, but you just can’t help watch. And at that moment wonder, do I want this fucker dead yet?
Dean reveals a darkness that has been tormenting him, dormant, which has emerged again as he tries to move forward with his life. It is a secret that may cost him everything. Richie is a self-centered, self-described asshole, but he feels that there is a sickness within him that is outside of his control. While Sunshine is a product of her intolerant, religious upbringing, that she can’t reconcile as she finds passion (perhaps lust) controlling her actions when she meets Leon (Jan-David Soutar).
Suicide is a touchy subject, and so is abortion, religion and even love. Director/Writer Erik Kristopher Myers pulls no punches with his frank dialog, where wives tell husbands where to put things and how wet they are for those things. If you are prudish, this film is definitely not for you. It’s designed to disturb you. Like the cylinder of the five-shot revolver, the story spins around for each character and is part of one weapon, one tool, to enact final judgement. When will the end come for them?
Erik Kristopher Myers delivers a surreal psychological opera. With each measure passing, minute by minute, a steady crescendo reveals more for the spectator to gawk at, like a deity who enjoys watching fools dance to their demise.
Here is the trailer; definitely check this film out if you like mental thrillers with a controversial payoff:
