What's the point? Self-consciously "profound" voice-over narration to show empty sensitivity of a lowlife girl was the first-scene warning as to how bad this thing was. But the lowlife girl was pretty till her eye got knocked out, and her men were good sleazy fun, easy on the eyes, except the blond guy, who was kind of a geek. But it's all an exercise in pointlessness and self-indulgent artiness... Hillbilly Gothic that started at the bottom and went down from there. Had a really stupid ending too, which I think was supposed to be ironic, or poetic, but was just annoying and unresolved. The direction was over-the-top portentous and pretentious, taking this pointless exercise as something profound, but not winning me over as a convert. I know the work of McCullers and O'Conner well (not to mention Faulkner), and this heavy-handed attempt at southern Gothic horror is embarrassing in its lack of substance and lack of any of the qualities of the above-mentioned. I caught it on Lifetime (Your Movie's On), and it's clear why, as that "network" has a pathology for trailer trash women in jeopardy. This one certainly fits that bill, but all serious or knowledgeable movie-watchers, beware.
Review of Briar Patch
