Compulsion (2013)

This is one of two WLW films titled Compulsion. Both are thrillers. Though they are different subgenres of thriller. Compulsion (2018) is a sexy thriller. With a strong emphasis on the sexy. Compulsion (2013) isn’t going for sex appeal, it’s going for comedy. While this 2013 version is the better of the two, the mixture of comedy and thriller never quite hits the right note.

Compulsion takes place in two time periods. In the present, Detective Reynolds questions Amy, a food-obsessed homemaker about the disappearance of her neighbour, Saffron. Much of the film is made up of flashbacks. Amy recounts how she came to know Saffron. The title Compulsion fits for Amy. Because Amy is truly obsessed with food. This eventually turns off her boyfriend, Fred. So, Amy begins to fixate on Saffron instead. Saffron is a glamorous actress and writer who spurns Amy’s many attempts to feed her. For a while, this is fine for Amy. Saffron is basically playing hard to get, and Amy likes the challenge. But eventually, Amy demands to know why Saffron won’t eat her food. Saffron reveals she’s bulimic. Still, Amy wants to care for Saffron. And Saffron lets her, encourages it even.

What I respect about Compulsion is that there is proper attention paid to Amy’s obsession with food. This isn’t just a window dressing trait. This woman’s relationship with food is singular and unhealthy. Compulsion seems to really have some fun digging down into the specifics of this character. It’s not played seriously, this isn’t Hannibal. Whether the intent was always to make a comedic thriller or the comedy came after developing this character, I don’t know. But Amy is an above average character for a movie like this. Some actual time, effort and enthusiasm went into developing her. Amy’s obsession with food involves a sexual component. This makes her as a character functionally bisexual. She doesn’t seem to take any notice that her lovers Fred and Saffron are different genders. So long as she can feed them, it’s all good.

Saffron is in contrast to Amy. This character doesn’t lend itself to comedic beats. Saffron’s “compulsion” is bulimia. And the film has a lot less of a grasp of this than they do Amy’s food obsession. Saffron doesn’t get nearly as much development as a character. Potentially because if you do explore bulimia on any level beyond the surface, you’ll find it unfit for comedy. Later, we learn Saffron is also the victim of casting couch-type assault when she was a teen. So, they did give her some depth. But again, this very dark and depressing character is completely at odds with Amy’s harmless and over the top quirk. These two characters are like strawberries and soy sauce. They don’t exactly go together.

The most disappointing thing about Compulsion is the ending. It happens quickly and the real insanity is off screen. After properly developing the unhealthy relationship between Amy and Saffron, Saffron makes a request. The film is ambiguous here, but it’s easy to guess what that request is. And that’s the last of the flashback segments. We then see Amy and the detective in the aftermath. Again, there is some ambiguity here, but if what Amy implies happened actually went down, I wanna see it! This movie actually did go some places, especially with Amy’s character. Frankly, I was hoping the movie would get real gross. I feel cheated that the film ended without a lot of onscreen violence. Not even a discussion between Amy and Saffron about their plan happens onscreen! That too could’ve been nuts enough to satisfy me. In its final moments, Compulsion plays it frustratingly safe.

Apparently, Compulsion is a remake of a South Korean thriller. That makes sense. It also makes sense for that film to play this premise straight. I do not know who the audience is for the Compulsion remake. I can’t see anyone singling this out as a favourite movie of theirs. It never quite comes together. Amy as a character lends herself to weird comedy, and the makers of Compulsion ran with that. But the rest of the story is definitely a thriller that’s too dark for the comedy Amy adds. I admire the creator’s enthusiasm and gumption. But the story overall never comes together. Plus, I really wanted the film to get real fucking weird and it never did that either.

Overall rating: 5.4/10

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