PET

US/Spain, 2016, 94 minutes, Colour.
Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette Mc Curdy, Da' Vone Mc Donald, Nathan Parsons.
Directed by Carlos Torrens.

Pet sounds like a rather innocuous title. But the story is not innocuous. It has many twists. At first it focuses on a lonely young man in his 30s working at a pet shelter. It then moves to something of a stalking story and then becomes an abduction story with the young man caging a young woman in the vein of the basic plot of John Fowles’ The Collector, filmed in 1963 with Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. And there have been similar abduction and collector stories since.

Dominic Monaghan, remembered for his role in Lord of the Rings, is the young man, who declares that he wants to save the young woman with whom he went to school after he reads her journal and discovers she is a serial killer. Imprisoning her in a cellar under the pet shelter, he tries to help her to her real self while she tries various ways of manipulating him. One her close friends appears and gives her advice, this happening in her mind.

Complications occur when the security man discovers the cellar and is murdered in a gory fashion, and his body disposed of by feeding the dogs upstairs. There is a police investigation but, in the meantime, the young man has been persuaded to cut off his finger out of love for the young woman – but she seizes his knife, hold it to her throat, escapes, publishes her story, but returns to the cellar where the young man is imprisoned.

Touches of the gory but, with so many twists, the plot continues to invite interest and curiosity.

1. A thriller of stalking, imprisonment, serial killers, power-play?


2. The Los Angeles setting, the streets and homes, restaurants, pet shelters? The underground cellar? The musical score?

3. The title, Seth and his working on the animal shelter, the animals, pets, to be destroyed? The administration? Holly, liking animals? Her being abducted, caged like a pet? Her turning the tables on Seth? His taking her place?

4. The various twists in the plot: the stalking, the parallel with The Collector with the abduction, the story of the serial killer, the evangelistic approach to saving the killer, the power-play and psychological twists, the gory murder and the feeding of the dogs, Seth sacrificing his finger, Holly turning the tables, the attack, Eric’s murder, Seth’s imprisonment?

5. The portrait of Seth, his age, single, his job, with the pets, concerned about the animals, careless in his work, interactions with Nate, asking his advice, the threats from the boss? His seeing Holly on the bus, the conversation, memories of the past, her cool response? His online research? Discovering all about her? Knowing all about her? Going to the diner, his rehearsal of the conversation, dressing up? The reality of the visit? Her rejection of him? His sending the flowers? Following her, her spraying the man, his being set on fire?

6. The preparation for the abduction, finding the cellar, preparing the cage, locking the door? Testing the anaesthetic? Taking Holly, imprisoning her? His motivations, wanting to save her? His love? Her reactions, hostile? Limits of food, drink, the pan? Her washing?

7. The revelation that she was a serial killer, the Journal? The secrets? The background of her relationship with Eric, his messages, not the flowers, Eric and his punching Seth?

8. The continuing of the relationship, Holly and her power-play, revelation about herself? Claire’s presence, talking, the flashback to the death of Claire? How much in Holly’s mind? The different personalities?

9. Nate, interactions with Seth, his discovering of the cellar, Holly’s appeal, the lock, Seth’s attack, killing him? Sawing the body, feeding the dogs? The police investigation, the times, the interrogation of Seth?

10. Holly, playing on Seth’s sympathies, exercising her power, allure? The bargain about his cutting off his finger? His doing it? Her seizing the knife, holding the knife to her throat, pressurising Seth? Stabbing him?

11. Her escape, publishing the story, discussions with Eric, his phone, the threats – killing him?

12. Her going to the cellar, Seth disfigured, imprisoned?