THE GIRL IN THE BATHTUB

Canada, 2018, 86 minutes, Colour.

Caitlin Stasey, Adrian Holmes, Jason Patric, Paul Campbell.

Directed by Karen Moncrieff.

Rather an ungainly title for what is a psychological study rather than a thriller. It makes it sound more like pulp fiction! It’s that word “bathtub”.

This is the story of a young woman in her 20s. She has left home. She has a good job. She moves in an affluent world, especially of lawyers. And, she is very attractive to everyone she meets – including the film’s audience.

However, the film opens with her dead in the forenamed bathtub. And she does the narration, taking the audience back to some months earlier, giving information about her life, her relationships, promiscuous as it turns out, and becoming more and more alcohol and drug -dependent. She also has eating, lack of eating, disorders. She is played by the Australian actress, Caitlin Stasey,

The film is brief, seemingly at first indicating that she has been murdered, elaborating a number of suspects. They include the former boyfriend with whom she had a relationship, who is still attached to her, her turning to him at times in need. There is also the wealthy businessman with whom she has conducted an affair for quite some time. He is married with children, can’t leave his wife, meets his mistress once a week. Then there is the boss of the company who is attracted to her, treated by her quite erratically. It is in his apartment bathtub where she is found.

Other suspects could well include the wife of the businessman with whom she has having an affair, the wife of her boss.

So, while there are portraits of the men and the wives, the film is really the portrait of a lost young woman, attempts at AA meetings to change, making resolutions, but failing, ultimately drinking, taking the drugs, getting into the bath, her death – not a murder.