Jaded

Caryn Krooth is an interesting director. But I think she was confused whether to make a sleazy lesbian thriller or a film that about the limitations of rape laws or a police procedural. Carla Gugino is great eye candy. So are the other females including the rather corpulent investigator (Aida Turturro) who always wears low cut dresses. The threesome lesbian skinny dipping that leads to rape is very well shot. Rya Kihlstedtthere is excellent as the vicious lesbian. She really pulled off the role well with the great introduction scene at the bar. Catherine Dent was pretty and I could sense a hint of sexual tension between her and Turturro. But the sexual tension was not well developed. There are certain arty farty student aspects to the film. But overall, i liked it. It does not really work as a mystery/police procedural. But it is a nice little unique film with a great Carla Gugino, set in a sleepy beach town.

(7.5/10)

A young and naive lady (Carla Gugino) gets brutally beaten and raped by two crazed women (Rya Kihlstedt and Anna Levine) during a late, drunken night on the beach. Naturally Gugino is distraught beyond comprehension, while the two others (Kihlstedt in particular) vehemently question Gugino's memory and her motives. "Jaded" is a really ugly movie that I had lots of trouble sitting through. The mature themes are one thing, but the lack of credible performers and a really crazed and demented story turn the picture into a terrible exploitation flick that has no value at all. The trio of female leads prove that they cannot handle the material and end up appearing more like spoiled adolescents than complex adult figures. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

"Jaded" takes on the complex question of abuse: the perpetrators and the victims. In lesser hands it would have degenerated into an erotic thriller made for direct-to-video. This director, however, has managed to pull off a textured multi-layered study with a decidedly different point of view.

Given the fact that the director/writer is a woman and the main detective and D.A. are also women, this could have turned into a very anti-male film. It is not. To be a sexual predator IS gender neutral. The nudity of this film is not erotic. The rape is brutal not sexual. We are looking at victims and not titillation.

The gifted cast rings true. For a film that is so little known, I was surprised at the quality of the performances. They are good. Carla Gugino and Rya Kihlstedt are incredible.

Somehow, this film got lost. Perhaps it is too smart for its own good. It is a "should see". Highly recommend. A thinking person's sexual thriller.

For a serious movie, the box cover for Jaded is all wrong. With moments of strong sexuality, the movie is not a sexual thriller but a drama. Still, with lack of experience from a first time director, Jaded falls short of anything serious. Carla Gugino is the main draw. Wanting to do a serious role, Gugino offers her naked body to draw a large audience to this movie. The acting, at times, is good. An interesting supporting role from Christopher Guest makes Jaded worth watching, from time to time. Still, Gugion's "assets" are the main attraction. Caryn Krooth's amateur film making loses any true drama that Jaded tries to create. The story and acting can only tell part of the story. With simple direction throughout the movie, the story is unable to progress to anything dramatic with a simple director behind the camera. At times, scenes are shot with only one, maybe two different shots. Whether this was an issue of time or budget, the style of direction loses its feel and reminds the audience that they are watching a low budget movie.

Clearly a low-budget movie with minimal style. Since this is the case, one would hope for an abundance of substance to overcome to obvious lact of style. Sadly, this isn't the case. While the premise of the movie is interesting and deserves to be discussed (re: men are not the only ones capable of hurting another human being, all it takes is the right circumstances and the right (or wrong, actually) frame of mine for a heinous crime to be commited), but a leisurely-paced direction left a lot to be desired. Acting by all concern is one-note and not effective, though Gugino is possibly a standout (though not by much). This truly feels like a low-budget production, but that in itself is not an excuse for making a poor movie. I cannot stress enough that while the movie's pace is laborious (much to its detriment), this is not a bad thing, since Kubrick's movies are known for their slow pace. Yet, when the pacing is this laborious and what's happening onscreen is ineffective, this leaves the viewer to wonder what's on the other channel, which happens to me a few times.