DAUGHTER OF GOD/ EXPOSED
US, 2016, 104 minutes, Colour.
Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas, Mira Sorvino, Christopher Mc Donald.
Directed by Declan Dale (Gee Malik Linton).
This is not an easy film to follow. It seems to be in two parts, one a Spanish-language film focusing on a young woman who has had some extraordinary experiences, seemingly supernatural. The other part is in English, focusing on a detective who investigates the death of his partner. There are some interconnections, finally with the woman herself.
The background of the making and editing of this film may explain the difficulties with it and some plot confusions, loose ends and it simply ending leaving the audience somewhat baffled. The writer-director asked for his name to be removed from the film because the executives at Lionsgate recut the film so that it focused more on the detective character, a star vehicle for Keanu Reeves. In fact, the young woman, played by Ana de Armas, is the more interesting character.
The film captures a lot of the atmosphere of Latino New York, the streets and shops, the homes, the schools, the characters, some of the crime background, standover criminals, some of the men in prison, and a nod to servicemen in Iraq and deaths in action.
We are first introduced to the young woman, a gentle type, hoping to be engaged, living with other Latinos and her parents, prayerful, with her rosary, using God language. She is seen at a nightclub with some suspicious types and is photographed with them, the photos being found on the body of the dead partner. After being in the nightclub, she sits at the subway station, happily fiddling with her ring which falls off and she loses – only to see a strange albino character appear on the platform, walk on air out into the centre of the tracks to see if the train is coming. He boards the next train, which she does not. Later, as she walks around the city, she sees a number of characters – presumably entertainers who mime standing on the streets in costumes and make up. Certainly, the young woman sees things.
When she goes to the doctor, he announces that she is pregnant and she is joyful, telling people who then become very suspicious of her, even the old lady that she relies on and whom she asks to pray a blessing for her. it is recommended that she see the priest – though she does not.
She also coaches some children and takes pity on one of them who seems to have a violent father, and, of delivery delivering her home, the little girl comes to stay with her. There are some details about the toy horse which the little girl loses, the woman buying her another one – and the detective asking questions about the horse, a theme which is not followed through.
This all seems to reveal suppressed memories of her being abused as a child – and, then it is revealed, that she has suppressed the memory of the police partner raping her on the subway platform, her knifing him and his falling on the tracks.
In the background is the police investigation, Mira Sorvino as the wife of the dead man who knew something about his corruption, who wants his name avenged but who is threatened at losing the pension because of the exposure of his crimes – which include raping a young man, dealing with drug lords… She also instigates a sexual relationship with the initially reluctant detective.
In the meantime there are more details about the detective who is widowed, his young son in Miami, sending him a birthday card, talking on the phone.
There are also quite a number of scenes, in Spanish, with locals associated with the dead partner, many of whom are killed, as well as a drug boss who makes threatening visits to young men in the city.
The film is a curiosity item; one can focus on the police investigation sequences, on life amongst the Latino population of New York City, or the strange experiences of the pious young woman who interprets her pregnancy along the lines of a virginal conception and has suppressed memories of sexual abuse.
