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So I saw the new film "High Tension" this afternoon. Why, you may ask, would I go see that movie? Well, I'm a movie fan. It doesn't matter what the genre is, if a movie is well-done and somewhat original, I'm there. So here is a French slasher movie opening up on 1,500 screens in the middle of the summer movie season. It must be pretty special, right? RIGHT?
The movie is about two female students, Marie and Alex, who go to Alex's family's isolated farm house on break to study. As soon as night falls there is a knock on the door from a psychotic redneck trucker, who proceeds to kill Alex's family in gruesome and ridiculous ways. He then kidnaps Alex, and it is up to Marie (who has gone undetected) to save her friend.
That's about it. There is a little suspense, and lots of bloody gore. It is absolutely no different from any number of American splatter movies from the past couple of years.
Until the ludicrous, offensive twist.
LAST CHANCE TO AVOID THE MAJOR SPOILER!!!!!!!!
You see, there really is no trucker. Marie has done all of the killing herself, due to a multiple personality disorder caused by the fact that she is a lesbian.
Yes, that's right, she has unrequited lesbian desires, and that turns her into a bloody, sadistic killer.
I doubt that the filmmakers themselves gave this much thought. I'll bet they wanted a twist to sell their movie, and they thought "What if Marie's a lesbian? That'll be cool!"
Which brings us back to the question of why a French film of such low quality was released on over 1,500 screens. My theory: Lion's Gate films made a cynical calculation that the "twist" would play right into America's irrational fear and hatred of gays and lesbians.
Don't go see this piece of crap. Without the twist, it's an average hack 'em up. With the twist, it's one of the most offensive films I've seen in some time.
End of rant.
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