“After a bestselling novelist suffering from writer’s block hires a new nanny for her children, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur.”
The film’s description is genuinely intriguing, but its extremely low rating certainly catches the eye. I have a penchant for watching “bad movies” as a means to better understand quality works and to discern their strengths compared to less impressive ones. Occasionally, I find that a film’s rating is unreasonably low and doesn’t align with my own tastes or opinions.
“Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021) became the next in the study of a huge list of works about authors. I’m committed to forming my own opinion about it without being unduly influenced by the overwhelmingly negative reviews.
WHY?
Throughout the first 20 minutes of the film, I found myself repeatedly asking the rhetorical question “Why?” aloud. With each query, I hoped the film would eventually offer an explanation as I diligently observed the main characters, their motivations, and their decisions.
However, my sense of bewilderment persisted unabated. Even as the story progressed, I couldn’t shake off the need for answers. “Why? What for?” I continued to ask, directed toward an unknown recipient.
Finally, when the screen displayed “The End,” my last “Why?” escaped my lips. It was a plea directed at the film’s creators: “Why did you make this film?”
And now, let’s delve into the components.
The Script
It seems that it was written by a chatbot, one of the first versions. Not one of those who are now creating almost masterpieces, but some kind of sick, unfinished one, where both the logic and the overall composition of the work suffer.
In the movie “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021), some random events are constantly happening, which are connected only by the fact that the main characters are familiar with each other.
Actions and motives live a separate life from the brains of the characters, the viewer is presented with a mostly comic sequence of events with a constant nagging desire to punch his forehead with his hand in an incendiary act of honest facepalm.
The movie “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021) has tags crime, drama, mystery. For the first 50 minutes, I did not notice any of them: not a drop of crime, absolutely no dramatic component, not even a hint of mysticism.
And what’s next? Perhaps the cinema will gradually open up, be rehabilitated, appear in the best world, come alive in my eyes?
Mystique still dripped a few drops somewhere in the third quarter, but almost immediately turned into a comedy parody. The last 20 minutes of the film made me cringe regularly, the climax and ending seemed so absurd and funny.
One of the dialogues of the movie Dark Places, Deadly Illusions (2021):
– How old are you?
– How much will you give?
– Two weeks ago I would have given 20, but today I can give 40.
The screenwriter and director here is one person, Anna Elizabeth James. It’s not surprising that none of its components turned out to be pleasant or interesting to watch. A director can sometimes salvage a weak script through skillful execution, just as it’s easier for a novice director to make a decent movie from a high-quality script. Unfortunately, Anna Elizabeth James doesn’t seem to have any trump cards up her sleeve, leaving the viewer with a disappointingly weak film product called “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021), her fourth full-length film.
Actors
Actress Kristin Davis, well-known for her role in the TV series Sex and the City, delivers a solid performance on screen, though I wouldn’t describe it as exceptional. As for the other actors, their extensive filmography indicates they’re no strangers to appearing in second-rate movies. They maintain a consistent presence on screen and give their best effort. However, I doubt that even with strong performances, the film could be redeemed from its weak direction and script. There’s no miracle to be found here.
A movie centered around a female writer
Yes, the narrative revolves around the life of a prolific author of numerous bestsellers. However, it’s doubtful that the filmmakers accurately depicted such a character. The main character’s behavior, decisions, and dialogue fail to reflect the persona of a successful and renowned writer. In fact, there’s nothing to suggest that she’s a writer at all, let alone an incredibly famous one who has achieved significant success. This “author” could easily be mistaken for the screenwriter of the film. It wouldn’t surprise me if the main character is a whimsical self-portrait of Anna Elizabeth James.
Writer’s block
The portrayal of the creative crisis is rather weak. The character is simply sitting or lying there, staring at a blank sheet of paper. Frankly, it’s hard to believe that an author responsible for at least ten bestsellers would struggle to write a single line and be plagued by writer’s block. In the film, she doesn’t come across as an author in crisis at all.
The protagonist laments, “I wrote my past masterpieces during the darkest times of my life, and now… writing isn’t as easy.”
In response, she receives advice from one of the minor characters: “Remember the times when you wrote your best books.” And then what? Did she remember? Did anything change? No, nothing changed. She just started writing. She didn’t write yesterday, but today she can’t be stopped.
Conclusions
I thoroughly enjoyed watching “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021) and didn’t regret it one bit. I spent a fantastic two hours forming a well-balanced, thoughtful critique. Surprisingly, I found myself smiling genuinely for quite some time afterward, despite it not being a comedy. So, thank you.
Would I recommend this movie to others? Definitely not. It’s not worth even a minute of your time if you value your life. However, if you’re in the mood for some mindless entertainment and want to have a laugh with friends or loved ones, then maybe it’s worth a watch, if only to collectively groan at the endless absurd dialogues and plethora of idiotic events.
But sure, you can give it a go. “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” might appeal to those who aren’t too concerned about the sophistication of Anna Elizabeth James’ storytelling. Every movie has its audience, after all.
Perhaps the filmmakers should consider labeling it as a comedy, rather than falsely advertising it as a crime or drama.
My own interest was only in how deep was this abyss of stupidity. I don’t regret diving in so deep, perhaps saving others who listen to my review from disappointment.
I give one point for the fact that the writer in the film wrote her book with a pen on paper, the second – for making me laugh.
The review in two words: funny crap.
My rating “Dark Places, Deadly Illusions” (2021) 2 out of 10
