By Jan Hamilton
This is the story of Kiya, a strange and solitary young woman. She lives her life online, posting herself doing weird things, like chewing huge wads of brightly colored gummy candy with her mouth open. She has a large following, but she feels she must out do herself each time, so her stunts, which are like performance art, must become more andmore outrageous. There is harshly critical young man who posts rebukes to everything she does, she takes this criticism very badly.
We watch as she robs a convenience store on camera, and terrorizes the clerk with a fake gun. He is forced to beg for his life, all for the benefit of her ever larger audience. When she takes a motel owner hostage, we wonder if maybe she is just lonely, she certainly doesn’t seem to have any friends. As she heads down a path of destruction we wonder if she will be able to extricate herself in time. Addison Timlin does an excellent job as Kiya. Audiences will have some sympathy for her even as she does awful things.
The Bottom Line: This is an unusual film, but one I found fascinating.
Director: Rob Mockler
Executive Producer: Peter Phok, Leo Joseph, Anya Joseph,
Anthony Gentile, John Gentile
Producer: Jenn Wexler, Jessalyn Abbott, Robert Mockler,
James Belfer, Larry Fessenden
Screenwriter: Robert Mockler
Cinematographer: James Siewert
Editor: Robert Mockler, Jessalyn Abbott
Sound Designer: Shawn Duffy
Music: Giona Ostinelli
Principal Cast: Addison Timlin, Ian Nelson, Larry Fessenden,
Jeremy Gardner, Stuart Rudin, Nicolette Pierini