KILL ME TWICE/ HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
US, 2018, 87 minutes, Colour.
Victoria Barabas, Gino Anthony Pesi, Deborah Van Valkenburg, Jessica Miraz, Jake Allyn, Stacia Crawford, Jack Fisher, Eve Sigall.
Directed by Stacia Crawford.
Kill Me Twice is familiar kind of material but presented in an entertaining way from undemanding audience.
Victoria Barabas plays a young woman who marries a man who is violent in extortion and kills an intruder in their home. She is shocked. He goes to prison. She is able to get forged documents and stage a suicide, moving away and beginning a new life with her son.
She is a pleasant woman, concerned about her son, working at the diner, her friend organising her to go on dates with a man who visits the diner.
The drama is that the husband gets out of prison, goes to his mother-in-law and threatens her, finding out about his son, getting the address, going to the house, abducting his son from the school and visiting a motel. The film builds up to the expected confrontation, the mother, her new friend helping, the pursuit in the woods, a shooting.
While there is happy ending, the woman is fearful to go to the police because of her suicide fraud, forged documents, unpaid debts. While she was conscious of them – there is no mention of these consequences in the happy ending.
1. The title? Melodrama? Mother protecting her son? Violent husband?
2. The American settings, homes, dinors, school, offices, motels, the countryside? The musical score?
3. Katie’s story, work, prospects, relationship with her mother? Meeting Nick? Attractive? The past advice? The relationship? Marrying? The attack on the house, the masked man, Nick killing him? Katie’s reaction? Finding about Nick, his extortions, violence, deaths? His going to prison? Katie’s decision, to disappear, pregnant, giving birth? The advice for forging papers, becoming Anna Jones? A new life, with her son, working in the diner, Chloe as a friend, the encounter with Lucas, wary, outings?
4. Danny, age, wanting to know about his father?
5. The mother, the phone calls, keeping her distance? Nick’s arrival, confronting her, in the house, the photos, his working out about his son, demanding the address?
6. Anna, her life, friends, Danny, thinking about moving? The outing with Lucas, Chloe minding Danny? Chloe and her relationship with her boyfriend and his roving eye?
7. Nick, watching the house, picking Danny up from school? To the motel, the suspicions of the woman at reception? Nick and his explanations to Danny, Danny cautious, the toothbrush, ringing his mother?
8. Her going to the police, the help of Lucas, the difficulties of her fraud, name change, the flashbacks to her bogus suicide, unpaid debts, the finance for the search for her body?
9. The address of the motel, Danny and shrewdness, hiding the rooms, the help of Maggie? Nick’s threats, the gun?
10. Anna, to the motel, Lucas driving, at home, Nicks’ pursuit, the chase in the woods, the axe, the fight with Lucas? And the shooting?
11. The reconciliation, a happy future – but the whole legal issues of her disappearance and debts not resolved?
