The Cleaner Review:
The cleaner is a short 20 minute film by Michelle Fatale and starring Kristin Burke, Shannon Lark, Owen Thomas, and Chris Angelo. The film revolves around Grace who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder which affects every aspect of her life and soon creates tensions at her job and with her husband.
I originally met the films actress Shannon Lark at a few film conventions when she was still touring with "The Living Dead Girls" and was immediatly taken with her. She is so enthusiastic about the horror genre and the people in it that its infectious. So thats where my initial intrest in the film came from.
As far as the film goes it really delves into some new territory for the genre while still giving a sly wink to the horror fans out there. The film is shot so beautifully that I was immediatly impressed with Michelle Fatales skill with the camera. The characters are all fleshed out as well as you can expect for a 20 minute film and the locations are simple yet elegant.
I must admit that when I first heard about female directors in the Horror genre I wasnt at all interested or excited as I figured most women would play it safe and turn the films into more of a drama then horror films. Ill be the first to admit just how wrong I was in this matter.....Women directors are bringing a breath of fesh air to a genre that as of late has gotten really stale. After watching both The Cleaner and Under The Ravens Wing back to back Ive discovered that women can bring so much more to horror film than most men can. They not only bring some really interesting ideas to the fray but they also are willing to explore places men just arent interested in exploring.
It's nice to finally see a trend with these films where its not just a bunch of scantily clad women baring their breasts (hey I never claimed to not enjoy that too!) and getting killed by some random masked killer. These films actually have well written characters and plots. They dont just rely on the blood,boobs,and more blood school of filmmaking but instead focus on the characters and the story. And The Cleaner is one of these films. I have to point out as well there is alot more sensuality to the women in these films than just seeing some naked bimbo get killed. You care.......and that's not to say that Michelle strays from the bloodshed and nudity because she doesnt! Instead Michelle gives you all these things but it actually has meaning to them. |