It's excruciating experience to see "Descent" in one single watch. It shows how much humanity we sacrificed for the sake of vengeance. Just like a great companion "Hard Candy", this movie can easily teared down your emotion and left it as open-wounded.
Rosario Dawson is Maya, a shy college student who, just like any hopeful young girls, wishes to meet a perfect man. At the party, she met Jared (Chad Faust), a passionate young man. He quickly makes a move to Maya. With all beautiful words and gestures he used, Maya finally let her guard down and completely trust that, this is the man whom she can spend a life with.
Then, horror happened. Maya was brutally raped by Jared. Her ideal world seemed to crumble right in front of her face. Maya delved into the darkness as she spends her life in her own silent world. She works in a clothing shop where she just ignores everybody else. Spending time in dance club where drugs, boozes and stranger intimacy are her new friends.
Months later, the story comes to last act when Maya and Jared meet again in the classroom. As insured, she has a plan. And it's a plan that Jared couldn't possibly think of. Strangely, he plays along with it. What we have here in the last 20 minutes is the most disturbing, depraved, twisted act that anybody couldn't possibly imagine.
One can think of how cheerfulness to see our heroic trio in "Death Proof" got their revenge. The result is comedic-like, ultra-surreal ending that sure to satisfy by fans of exploitation films. "Descent" ignores the whole concept of exploitation thing and stick it firmly to the ground with its truthfulness. It's an act of vengeance in its purest form. And it goes on and on and on and nobody seemed to be happy about it.
First time director, Talia Lugacy did an admirable job to explore this twisted world. One might think that she's overdone with Maya's downfall by putting excessive madness into the protagonist that almost overkill it. But with this powerful opening and ending, It's obvious that she has a rightfulness to tell this story straight.
One can also admire the lead (and first time producer), Rosario Dawson, to put herself into an interesting career path. It's the role that any praises for her acting overshadowed by its controversial. But it's also a role that will re-define her body of work and create a significant part in her life. As she feels that she's capable to do everything from now on.
In the final moment where the film just simply captures at Maya's face, it's effective. As they're both haunting and yet, strangely beautiful. There's not a single moment to show our protagonist satisfied in what she did, even she just thought so. It shows how much we wrong thought about "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Because it's ain't.
