One of the things that many of us miss when we think about how great it must be to be famous is the reality that there are prices to pay for being so public. The term “being under the microscope” is used, but that seems to dismiss the fact that it’s not a singular person looking at you and judging you, but millions of people. Everything you say, wear, do, and everyone you are with is now fair game for the world to dissect. While much of it can be chalked up to envious people with too much time and too much to say online, there are others who go beyond just posting petty things online.
There are some that go far beyond just that, and, unable to discern true reality, to the reality they have in their heads, become dangerous in their obsession with someone famous.
Samara Weaving plays the part of Sofia, a pop star turned actress whose lifestyle many would envy. When a man obsessed with her decides that he and the singer are a romantic item and is on the verge of marriage, his obsession turns dangerous, and all of those around Sofia are now in his sights as nothing will stop him from being with the woman he loves.
Despite the description, this is , first and foremost, a comedy, albeit a very dark comedy. Ray Nicholson as the obsessed suitor and Samara Weaving as Sofia shine here, and both are given a lot of opportunities to really strut their stuff. Nicholson, blessed or cursed with his father’s smile, really just devours the film, playing his character as a sort of proto-Joker, who clings to a reality only he believes in. Both are great though, as is the whole cast – especially standout Jimmy Fails.
Very well directed – and expertly scored – the tone has a very tough balancing act to manage, but handles it well. There are great directing choices, and one of the best scenes in the film is a surreal one where two characters have a duet out of the blue, and we see much of it through someone else’s perspective, showing us how strange this really is. It’s funny, but the film doesn’t make light of the danger that Sofia and the others are in. There is a manic energy to the film, and it kept surprising me to the end.
Nicholson really does a great job of riding the rail between menacing and adoring, and his charisma is on full display here. Weaving also does a really nice job of capturing the brattiness of her character, though as things proceed, her humanity and vulnerability also come to the fore.
The biggest complaint I have is that there are personality aspects of Sofia that are brought up, but which never really get any deeper examination, which feels like a lost opportunity to make her a deeper character.
As it stands, this is a very good, very funny, very dark comedy with fantastic performances. It’s not a groundbreaking idea, but the twists and turns it takes to get where it’s going totally work, and I love the final shot of the film, which feels a lot like an homage to the ending of PEARL.
I really, really liked BORDERLINE and think fans of black comedies will really dig this one.
Borderline will be available on Digital Download from 8th September.
4 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 