MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON
Dir. Ana Lily Amirpour
CULT
Following on from her acclaimed debut feature, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), and the dystopian thriller, The Bad Batch (2016), writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour is back with her anticipated third feature, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a dark and subversive new fantasy-thriller centring around a young girl with a mysterious psychic gift.
Jeon Jong-seo, who made her debut in the Palme d’Or nominated South Korean psychological thriller Burning (2018), stars as the eponymous Mona Lisa, an enigmatic young girl with the ability to control the actions of others.
After using her powers to break out of a secure psychiatric facility, Mona eventually crosses paths with street-wise stripper Bonnie and her young son Charlie, who happily give her a place to stay as she attempts to evade capture and avoid a return to the hospital. However, Bonnie is quick to take advantage of her new acquaintance’s abilities in order to swindle the unsuspecting public out of their hard earned cash and, unsurprisingly, the authorities soon begin to close in.
Amirpour’s innovative and highly original third feature proves a compelling and thoroughly entertaining affair, filled with imaginative twists and dark comedy, and boasting an excellent cast including Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson, Ed Skrein and Evan Whitten as the young Charlie.
A witty screenplay, slick direction, clever cinematography (Pawel Pogorzelski) and a fun score/soundtrack (Daniele Luppi) make this a highlight of this year’s Cult strand.
For more information, and to book tickets, please CLICK HERE.
