Susan Granger’s review of “The Dead Girl” (First Look Pictures)
January is often considered a grim month so this psychological drama about the investigation of a sordid, mysterious murder fits right in.
Composed of five seemingly disparate, titled vignettes set in Los Angeles, it begins with lonesome Arden (Toni Collette), the sole caretaker for her ailing, verbally abusive mother (Piper Laurie), discovering in a vacant field the rotting corpse of a young woman with 12:13 tattooed on her arm. Seeking solace, Arden turns to a heavily tattooed grocery clerk (Giovanni Ribisi) who is obsessed with serial killers. Then there’s the depressed forensics grad student (Rose Byrne) who preps the mutilated body for an autopsy, suspecting it might be that of her younger sister who has been missing for years, much to the chagrin of her parents (Mary Steenburgen, Bruce Davison) who are still in denial.
An aging couple (Mary Beth Hurt, Nick Searcy) who run a rental storage facility quarrel constantly, particularly about his mysterious nocturnal disappearances – until she discovers he’s been stashing remnants of personal effects belonging to young women. And a prim yet desperate mother (Marcia Gay Harden) comes to town searching for answers about the dead girl, who was her runaway daughter, from a drug-addicted prostitute (Kerry Washington), Finally, there’s a flashback to the last day in the life of the murder victim (Brittany Murphy).
Led by the female performances, the ensemble cast is credible but writer/director Karen Moncrieff’s (“Blue Car”) morose, fragmented concept is totally depressing, a mood augmented by Michael Grady’s cinematography and Kristan Andrews’ production design. And the structure is so convoluted that cohesiveness is not attained until the conclusion. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Dead Girl” is a bleak, baleful 6, recommended only if you’re into sinister desolation.
