Misogynist
DIRECTED AND WRITTEN BY: Michael Matteo Rossi, STARRING: Jon Briddell, Eve Mauro, Jonathan Bennett, Tracey E. Bregman, RUN TIME: 77 Mins, RELEASE: March 3, 2015
Trevor (Jon Briddell) Is a chauvinistic guru who holds underground seminars for young men, where he teaches them the art of controlling women. Harrison (Jonathan Bennett) is his top student. However, Harrison soon discovers that Trevor is not all that he seems and things quickly begin to unravel for the unsuspecting pupil.
Michael Matteo Rossi has brought us a wonderful film that differs from many thrillers that are out currently out there. I've lost count of how many times I have sat down to watch a good thriller only to find myself shouting at the screen in front of me at the frustratingly implausible moments being played out and sighing at the ridiculous clichés being spewed out for the thousandth time. What Misogynist successfully does, which so many other fail in, is to create a brilliant character based thriller. The story itself something the likes of which I have not seen before (a rare treat in an age of endless remakes and rehashed plots) and boasts a well-thought-out script that never descends into the unbelievable. Instead, Misogynist maintains a faithful and engaging pacing from start to finish and allows the viewer to follow the journey of it's two main characters (Trevor and Harrison) without being sidetracked by any irrelevant plot additions.
Like i said, Misogynist is character based (that's how I personally perceived it anyway), and a well written as the characters are that all amounts to nothing if you don't have the right cast to bring them to life. To that end, this is undoubtedly another win for Michael Matteo Rossi (and Alla Emma Kokikyan). They really have struck gold with Jon Briddell in the role of the both charming and despicable Trevor. Briddell oozes charisma and portrays this character like he was born to play it. Every time he is on-screen you can't help but be captivated by everything that he does and says. He really does bring out so many emotions in you, not all of them welcome. His 'Best Actor' award at the La Underground Film Festival is truly deserved. Briddell's performance is complimented perfectly by that of Jonathan Bennett, who plays his faithful prodigy Harrison.
I have to be honest, I have only ever seen Bennett in Mean Girls (sorry) and to that end, it was great to see him in this dramatic role of which he effortlessly nailed, and produced the required emotions of his character with great conviction and sincerity. Briddell and Bennett worked so well together and had wonderfully believable chemistry. That being said, although they were undoubtedly the main stars of the film, there were some great performances from the co-stars. I especially enjoyed the scenes between Trevor and Jared (Kris Black), and it would be extremely remiss of me to acknowledge that. Kris Black was just fantastic and such an important character that I really hope people enjoy as much as I did.
Now, the subject of this film is arguably sensitive, and I am sure that there are plenty of ladies out there that will undoubtedly scoff at the very idea of it, but what I would say to them is that this genuinely not a film that attempts to belittle women. Nor is it a creation of women-hatred. So, if that is what you are expecting, that is not what you are going to get and I'm sure you will be pleasantry surprised. It's so much more than that, otherwise it just wouldn't work. In fact, there are some wonderfully strong female characters in Misogynist with standout performances from Alia Raelynn and Danielle Lozeau. I also loved the contrast between Trevor's relationship with Cheryl and Harrison's with April, particularity focusing on the comparisons of the two women, but that's as much as I can say about that.
Overall, this is the work of genius filmmaking, that hits all the right notes. Misogynist is hard-hitting, emotional and downright thrilling. It breaks away from all its competitors with its own uniqueness and just goes to prove that you don't need a mind-blowing budget to create a great film. All you need is a great writer, inspired direction and a dedicated and talented cast to make it work, and this film has it all in spades. Spectacular from start to finish. Misogynist is the perfect example of why it is so important to support all the hard-working independent filmmakers that are out there.