Released: June 2021
Director: Larry Wade Carrel
Not Rated
Run Time: 102 Minutes
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Cast:
Marcus Jean Pirae: Heinrich
Paula Marcenaro Solinger: Misha
Lacey Cofran: Lorian West
Rachel Alig: Charlotte
Larry Wade Carrel: Sheriff Maddox
It’s very rare for a movie to take me completely by surprise. Sometimes certain start off interesting enough, but they devolve into what ends up being a more generic action/thriller kind of movie. Sometimes it’s satisfying, other times it’s not. It generally depends on how well it’s written. When it comes to kidnap thrillers or movies that deal with human trafficking, they tend to follow a very similar pattern: 1.Victim gets kidnapped. 2.Loved ones panic when the victim doesn’t come home. 3. Father/husband/brother leaves to find out what’s happened 4. Insidious plot discovered with a serious time crunch. 5. Hero finds victim only for them to be stolen away again or killed. 6. Hero hunts down kidnappers and takes revenge. That’s most of those movies in a nutshell. It’s not always a bad thing if it’s done well. But after Taken came out, a lot of copy-cat movies attempted to do exactly what Taken did. Even Rambo went down that road. But every once in a blue moon, I come across a thriller that looks fairly generic on the DVD cover, but the movie itself is so much more. That is exactly what I got with Girl Next.
From the DVD summary: “A young woman, Lorian West, is abducted by a strange group of human traffickers who use drug and trauma based mind control to turn women into sex slaves called “Sofia” dolls. Trapped in a waking nightmare Lorian fights to resist the programming. She searches for a way to escape her fate, to avoid becoming Girl Next.” While that summary seems pretty simple, you’ll find out 30 minutes into the movie that nothing is as it seems. This is the kind of story that I like. It starts off in a very familiar way, but pretty soon, it veers off into left field, and Girl Next goes all the into left field. We meet these two people, Henrich and Misha, who run this barn where they turn women into these “dolls.” They use drugs and torture to get the women to obey, so they can be sold, but the money they get from a corrupt sheriff, they use to develop a new kind of hallucinogenic drug. At this point, the movie basically becomes a bit of an acid trip. The way it’s filmed, you’re never clear as to what’s real and what isn’t. I love the fact that the movie kept me guessing the whole way through. While there are moments in the story that are uncomfortable and brutal, you’re constantly left asking, “what the hell am I watching?” The entire story and film are one big WTF, and I was NOT expecting it. That’s a very good thing.
I have to say that the acting in this film is surprisingly pretty decent. The two main villains played by Marcus Jean Pirae(Heinrich)and Paula Marcenaro Solinger(Misha)are pretty good. They aren’t particularly likable but their antics throughout the film make them entertaining to watch. The film’s director, Larry Wade Carrel plays the sleazy sheriff Maddox, and he’s good at making that guy a creepy sumbitch. I have to give credit to newcomer Lacy Cofran as Lorian West because her character definitely gets put through the wringer, but Lacy is clearly committed to the role, and she hits every note that she’s supposed. I want to see more from this actress. The real stand-out of the film, though, is Rachel Alig as Charlotte. Every time she’s on the screen, she commands it. Her character is just so bizarre and crazy, you’re never quite sure what she’s all about. Again, that’s one of the film’s neat tricks about keeping you guessing. Is Charlotte an ally of Lorian’s, or is she something else entirely? It really isn’t until the end of the movie that you finally figure what’s happening…mostly, but even then, you’re left with questions. I love the unpredictability of movies like this. That also comes down to the film’s writing, and it’s pretty strong. The dialogue’s not the greatest, but the twists and the turns throughout the film are the result of a writer that knows what he’s doing.
Because there’s a lot of drug use in the film, the imagery is often hallucinogenic and downright bizarre. Once again, you’re never 100 percent sure of the film’s reality. Some of the stuff that you see including the giant clown heads that appear out of nowhere make you question if YOU’RE the one that’s on drugs. In terms of visual effects, the CGI blood is painfully obvious, but thankfully, a lot of the gore and special effects appear to be practical. It’s not until the final act that things really start getting bloody. It’s incredibly satisfying when it does happen. I also have to say that some of the cinematography isn’t too shabby. Truthfully, though, this does NOT have the look of a theatrical release. It’s definitely got the look of a VOD-style movie, but again, that’s not really a bad thing, considering the film was made for close to a million bucks. That’s pretty good actually.
There are a couple of issues here that mar the experience a bit. For instance, the pacing of the film is all over the place. There are moments when it feels like it drags, and others where it goes full steam. That causes issues with tension and the suspension of disbelief. The other is the over-reliance on the sex scenes for shock value. If they were attempting to turn this into some kind of erotic thriller, they didn’t succeed, because the subject of human trafficking doesn’t lend itself to the idea of an erotic thriller. Not very well, at least. Again, I have to credit to Miss Cofran for willing to put herself through all that. That takes guts. She was able to handle the physicality and emotional bits very well. Ultimately, I found Girl Next to be a lot smarter and better than I was anticipating. I blind-bought the DVD, and I was honestly expecting another run-of-the-mill human trafficking thriller. Let me tell you, there’s nothing run-of-the-mill about this one. This is one of the rare indie films that took me by surprise in the best ways. I will warn you that the overt sexuality and some of the torture scenes may be a little much for some, but what we really have here is a solid and unpredictable little thriller that could…and did. I have to recommend it, especially to fans of thrillers and acid trips. Check it out. It’s currently available on DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD.