With such films like Almost Famous and Things Behind the Sun, we can almost say there’s a new genre of “journalist interviews with musicians” dramas. Sure, it’s a niche, but when done right, it can help peel the layers off the lives of famous musicians in an interesting and dramatic way. Now, what if we decided to create a sub-genre to this new genre I made up? How about “journalist, I mean, not really a journalist interviews a rock musician to con and steal from them” drama? That’s what Hala Matar explores in her directorial debut, Electra.
Not to be confused with Jennifer Garner’s abysmal superhero movie (for which she found complete redemption in Deadpool and Wolverine), Electra focuses on journalist (not really) Dylan (Daryl Wein pulling double duties as actor and co-screenwriter) and his photographer (not really) girlfriend Lucy (Abigail Cowen) as they are going to do a profile on a famous rock musician Milo (Jack Farthing) for a magazine. Electra intentionally doesn’t say the name of the magazine at first just so that you the audience can get swept up in the normalcy of what Dylan and Lucy are about to do as they will embed themselves with Milo as well as his girlfriend Francesca (Maria Bakalova), but of course, they have ulterior motives.
As Electra continues (told in chapters), Dyland and Lucy move in with Milo and Francesca, and although the four do spend a lot of time together, they all have hidden secrets, even secrets from each other. There is erotic tension between all four of them as they spend a great deal of time together. But Dylan and Lucy have to be on their toes all the time. If they say one thing out of line, their lies may be revealed, and their house of cards will quickly crumble. Everything is tied to a painting that Milo has in his living room, which everyone wants to have, keep, or not reveal the details of. The film eventually reveals the importance of the painting, which has deadly implications in the film’s final act.
The directing, acting, production, location, set design (which it has won awards for), and costumes are all outstanding. Filming Electra in Italy gives incredible architecture in almost all locations throughout the film. In her directorial debut, Matar does a great job painting a visually interesting film that is meant to keep you guessing as they what the end game for our con artists really is. The film reveals in the final act not only the importance of the painting, but also why Electra is the film’s title. It’s a little bit of a letdown once revealed, but the journey getting there is intriguing.
While Electra visually and performance-wise is interesting, the film suffers from trying to capture various tones and not necessarily sticking to one. Is this film about a con job/caper? Is this an exploration of lies and secrets? Is this a film about sex and control? Is this a thriller, especially with the film’s ending that comes out of nowhere? Maybe all of them, maybe none of them as it attempts to juggle how it wants to tell its story tonally. While Electra tries to figure out what story it’s trying to tell, it is still a worthy effort for a filmmaker in their directorial debut who clearly has a visual eye.
Electra is now playing in select theaters and On Demand.
