LETHAL LOVE

Canada, 2021, 87 minutes, Colour.

Joelle Farrow, David Pinard, Torri Higginson, Tommie- Amber Pirie

Directed by Avi Federgreen.

There is nothing particularly subtle about the direct title. And, at the opening, we see the central character, Blaine (David Pinard) putting the body of a woman in the boot of a car and regretting that she could never love him for the rest of his life.

We also see a bakery, run by a loving mother and daughter. Lots of sentiment in the relationship between the two. Blaine arrives, gets his guitar and sings outside the bakery, attracting people who then go in to buy or have a coffee. He ensconces himself in the bakery, which has a lounge, his singing. He also ingratiates himself into the good graces of mother and daughter.

However, the audience knows all the time what is going to happen in terms of relationships. First of all, he initiates a relationship with the daughter. Then he moves to the mother who is rather overwhelmed, urged on by friends, agrees to his proposal of marriage.

In the meantime, the daughter has recorded one of his songs, put it online, which leads her to the initial location and the story of how he played with the affections of two sisters and stole their music. His also seen copying recipes from the mother’s notebook.

Confronted by the daughter, he attacks her, throws her into the river but she survives, returning just in time for a confrontation and the stopping of the marriage.

Which is what might have been expected from the title and the development, which makes for a rather undemanding romantic thriller.