Suspicious River (2000)

a tough watch

no doubt this is a tough watch. the topic matter controversial and grim. although tough viewing, i enjoy movies like this because it challenges me to look at my views and reflect on life and the lives of others i know. an interesting thing: view this movie and then watch billie piper's "diary of a call girl" to see a totally different perspective view on the same topic. i disagree with a previous reviewer saying this is like a student project and the color is off. this is a well done movie, very professional to the highest degree. if he would have listened to the commentary, she explains the shots and color. if you like dark, grim movies, then this is mandatory viewing. if you offend easily, or think your morals are better than others, go watch disney. for people who take their movies seriously, this is highly recommended. July 8, 2008

Okay, but don't think too much

or else you'll wonder why a man would go to all that incredible trouble to get a woman to turn tricks for him when there's so many other easy and willing women out there.
Sadly, you won't wonder why a woman would let such a man abuse her because, well, so many do.
It was 'nice' to see Shanks in a minor bit as baseball cap creep/bad guy when he was already established as all around good guy in stargate sg1.
Slight annoyance- her wearing these flimsy sun dresses in what looked to be fall/cold weather, but both Parker and easy-on-the-eyes Rennie were excellent in their roles. February 24, 2008

Amazing

This is a subject that isn't usually touched upon in film. The B movie feel reflects the dreary depseration of the life of the main character.



Parker plays Leila, a woman so bored and disillusioned with life that she actively seeks out abuse from stragers. She begins taking money from men for sex, not for the money, but for the degredation. Leila seems determined to make her life as dark and frightening as she can. Her childhood has traumatized her to the point of emotional numbness.



Rennie plays Gary Jenson, initially one of Leila's customers who eventually becomes her "boyfriend" and only reveals his true motivations at the end of the film. He manipulates Leila with alternating violence and empty promises. Leila seems to crave the violent lifestyle Gary is offering.



The acting is amazing. Rennie and Parker both give perfect performances. A lot of the story is told through facial expressions instead of dialog which Rennie and Parker both pull off superbly. Suspicious River is a dark glimpse into a frightening and dangerous, yet mysteriously seductive world. June 26, 2007

Tries to Capture the Feeling "Kissed" Had...Fails Miserably

Reuniting with her "Kissed" director Lynne Stopkewich, actress Molly Parker ('Deadwood') stars in "Suspicious River" a film that attempts to catch the same atmosphere and creepiness that Kissed had. First of all, "Kissed" was a film about a female necrophiliac played by Parker. The movie was well made, didn't sensationalize it's subject, and stayed with me for days. Suspicious River is different. It looks cheap, it's about a subject and then takes an unnecessary and nonsensical turn in the last act, and I'll forget about it in days. That's not to say it doesn't have it's good parts though. Parker plays Leila Murray, a married woman who works at a motel. At the motel she begins selling sex to various people who come in. It's meaningless for her, she seems completely detached in the scenes where she has sex. When the film switches over to her private life with her husband (something it doesn't do often, to a point where the husband character seems like a mere puppet), she seems detached from him as well. She kind of just seems detached from the entire world; This is, technically, explained at the end of the film via flashback...But it doesn't seem realistic. The character should seem detached during these acts of sex, but should at least seem human when around her husband. Anyway, Leila eventually meets (and greets) a man named Gary Jensen (Callum Keith Rennie), who's also married. The first time she services him, he beats her...This should be clue number 1 to get out. Eventually, the less-abusive Gary and Leila fall in love and plan to run away together. All these events unfold while we are submitted to random flashbacks that all come together at the end. Another problem with the film. Had it just been the flashbacks, that would've been O.K. Not stellar or anything, just O.K. But they also had to throw in scenes with Parker picking up her younger self. What was the point? Truth is, this movie has no point. That doesn't mean it didn't have its moments where I enjoyed it, but it's not a film the clicked with me. The scene at the end where Parker narrates (something that she didn't earlier in the film) seems to pay homage to Kissed. That film also ended with a narration by Parker, but that one was haunting and poignant. This one seems to say "I've been trying to work in a metaphor the entire running time and now I have it. Since you, the audience, won't notice it...I'm going to spell it out for in an abstract way."

GRADE: C November 6, 2006

A great film about a tough subject

This movie by Lynne Stopkewich (whose controversial first film was Kissed) shows off her depth as a director. This film deals with the story of a young woman trapped in a small town repeating the self destructive patterns she learned from her mother as well as not appreciating what you've got until you potentially lose it..... Molly Parker shines as the lead and the secondary characters are good enough, just overlook the low budget feel to this movie to enjoy the compelling storytelling. The film was based on a book of the same title by Laura Kasischke and this movie made me want to go out and buy the book. I highly recommend Suspicious River to those who enjoy gritty independent films. July 11, 2006

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