Spoilers would change schools.

Let’s just address the big comparison first. I’m not the first nor last critic to compare Jennifer Reeder’s work to that of David Lynch. That being said, I said as much on my review of her previous film Knives and Skin (2019). Back then, she actually waved off the comparison during an audience Q&A. Whether she was inspired by Lynch or her style simply runs parallel to similar inspirations, it’s not a review until we focus on the outcome.

(Credit: Shudder)

Perpetrator (2023) was written and directed by Jennifer Reeder. Jonny (Kiah McKirnan) is not a stranger to scavenging to survive, specially from unattended things left behind in easy-to-break-in houses and school lockers. With her 18th birthday coming up, her single father sends her to stay with her aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone) and attend a school where a lot of girls have been known to go missing. Using that as an excuse, Principal Burke (Christopher Lowell) schedules surprise drills in which he hunts students down with a squirt gun.

Jonny has always felt like an outsider. Now more and more, she’s having this fixation on blood. She constantly seems to bleed from her nose, and when she does other people do too. Soon she will learn from her aunt that she’s the last in line of people that have certain abilities that only appear on the female descendants. Even describing this premise doesn’t really come close to the eerie storytelling as Jonny navigates her surreal daily existence. We’re always watching something that seems to have a backstory for which we’re only getting very small morsels.

Does it work? It’s hard to say, which means it’s not quite hitting the point. The pace is slow, but you never know what is coming next. You can expect some resolution and more or less suspect the right/wrong people. The movie is not really about the plot though. It is all about enjoying the trip. Kiah McKirnan’s Jony is definitely a character you’re willing to follow and her performance is a high point. Alicia Silverstone shines as the mysterious aunt Hildie. Within the premise of a serial killer story, we do get allusions to a coming of age story that dwelves in the mysticism of identity, legacy and womanhood. But it does feel like it barely covers what it’s trying to say. It’s like the film is casting a wide net that is barely able to cover the entire surface of the ocean it’s aiming to, much less contain it.

Recommended with reservations. You might get more out of night depending on what mood you’re in. It’s not slow, but the strained storytelling takes a great effort in getting its message out. It will be either an acquired taste or much too clunky for some audiences to take on. As entertainment goes it seems it only travels to the middle of the road and expects you to meet it halfway. Maybe worth a watch when you don’t mind putting in some effort.

That will do for now.