SHATTERED
US, 2022, 92 minutes, Colour.
Cameron Monaghan, Lily Krug, Sasha Luss, Ridley Asha Bateman, John Malkovich, Ash Santos, Dat Phan.
Directed by Luis Prieto.
A melodrama which is one of those films that for many audiences could be a guilty pleasure. It is be-budget material, plenty of affluent glamour, a plot that could well be predictable, some violent sequences, some lurid sequences. It is the material of television soap operas but heightened.
Craig Monaghan plays a businessman who has sold his company at great profit, owns a mansion outside the town, every luxury, and every bit of security from the firm that he built up. His wife has divorced him but wants the papers signed. He loves his little daughter.
He shops after midnight, the complete loner, encountering a young woman, Skye, the film introducing German actress, Lily Krug (in her early 20s). She has a story about her erratic partner, wants to avoid trouble, Chris driving her home, she seductive, he compliant, she returning early to her partner with whom she has a sexual relationship.
The owner of the motel continually observing, leering, and an unexpected screen presence of John Malkovich (who was one of the producers of the film).
After a date, some vandals are attacking Chris’s car, Skye taunting them, they attack the couple, breaking Chris’s leg. Out from hospital, Skye offers to be his carer. So far so nice if a bit limited!
But, Skye is unmasked, her having a telescope at the motel and spending a lot of time observing Chris and his behaviour and timetable. The leering landlord discovers this, works out what has happened, goes to confront Chris who offers him a Picasso for safety. Later he will be confronted by the villains, dying.
The vandals were also set up by Skye to attack Chris. They arrive, overcoming the wheelchair-bound Chris, stripping the house of all his artwork. Eventually, Chris makes an escape attempt, encounters a passerby in the car who turns out to be skies stepfather (Frank Grillo who always makes a sneering villain). Further plans to rob Chris of all his money, his investments. They go as a couple to get all of Chris’s bonds and documents from his bank safe – but, they have been removed by his ex-wife.
Setting for the finale, the ex-wife and daughter coming to visit, Skye not having anticipated this, a great number of scenes of struggle, fighting, shooting, Chris overpowered, Skye unmasked, the contribution of ex-wife – and, especially at the end, of the daughter with a gun.
So, 90 minutes of heightened melodrama, easy to look down on, but, somehow rather, keeping the audience intrigued.
