Ron’s Review

🌕🌕

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we received screeners for Chapter 51. But you tell me Colman Domingo’s in a film, and I’m going to watch it. But I did check out the trailer first, and though I didn’t quite understand it, I was intrigued. I also thought the film looked extremely stylish. I wanted to check this out.

From the start of Chapter 51, I felt discombobulated. I wasn’t sure if I was watching the film, or I was watching the film within the film, an investigative ‘documentary’, or the film within the film within the film, Dissident. It was dizzying. Once I got a grip on what was being shown, I started homing in on the things I liked–Domingo–and what I didn’t–a lot of the cast.

A film like this, that’s essentially a send-up of the film industry, needs actors with some amount of presence on-screen. Domingo, now a two-time Oscar nominee, not only has a presence, but he’s got the acting chops to disappear into any role. He also looks incredibly stylish whenever he’s on-screen.

Unfortunately, the rest of the cast just doesn’t bring that gravitas. Some of the blame lies in the writing. All the characters are similar to each other–they’re all angry and loud and mean. And all in very similar ways. If they didn’t all look so different, I’d think I was watching the same person. The only characters who were a little different were Dustin (Dylan Sprayberry), less angry and more neurotic, and Sprayberry got the biggest laughs from me. And Martin (Mike Gray), a seemingly normal person in a ridiculous environment, was a breath of fresh air.

I believe Chapter 51 wasn’t a big budget film, so the cast aren’t big names. But I do wish the character of the writer-director, Pace (Connor Paolo), had been given to someone who didn’t look so mousey. Paolo tries to play the asshole, but he ends up coming across as a version of Jesse Eisenberg.

The producer was another character who needed an actor with more presence. He’s got nothing happening behind his eyes, and it’s distracting.

The biggest issue was the creator of this film, Tyler Shields, playing the FBI profiler. He’s giving us nothing and it took me out of the film completely. Chapter 51 is a gorgeous film and Shields' use of all those different film formats and cameras makes for an absolute treat for the eyes. But the story and the acting let it down. There was no point in telling this pastiche-like story; it was yet another showcase of terrible people. Ultimately, despite being beautiful, Chapter 51 is more style over substance.

Mon’s Review

🌕🌗

In Chapter 51, an FBI investigator with nothing but success under his belt is flummoxed by the mystery of three murders by the Hollywood Killer. In this mockumentary-style film, we learn about the lead up to the killings, all of which took place during the shooting of the most controversial film of all time, Dissident. 

The viewer is privy to interviews with the four suspects, other talking heads connected to the film or the suspects, and tons of footage from the fictional film. Will we find out who the real killer is?

I’m at a loss with Chapter 51. I’m down for some experimental and innovative art, but from the outset the film lost me with its claims of portraying ‘the greatest actor ever’ and the ‘best film ever’. I do hate it when films do that, because the subsequent scenes of said amazing performance and film are anything but. 

The film is immersive–you get wrapped up in these personalities and the histrionics that go with them. I was surprised by how few laugh-out-loud moments there were in this ‘comedic thriller’. The humorous moments were mostly delivered by Dylan Sprayberry. Now, were they intentional or not, is anyone’s guess.

What you won’t get immersed in is the central mystery. There is no interest in really uncovering the killer, or mourning the death of these, seemingly, innocent young women. The thrust of the film is flaunting the eccentric mad ‘geniuses’ who make or are part of Dissident. We learn about these unhinged men, their toxic tendencies, and frankly abusive behaviours. And one lady who turned up late to work. 

If you’re coming for Colman Domingo, you will be disappointed by how small his role is. He’s superb despite the curtailed screentime. He brings such presence, gravitas, surety. All the other actors pale in comparison–each one is hammy and over-the-top, compared to the effortless delivery of Domingo. 

I couldn’t figure out what the takeaway from the film was supposed to be. The story is an amalgamation of every on-set horror story we’ve ever heard of. But it doesn’t comment on the toxic environment that we witness. 

The denouement, especially, left me utterly confused. What was the point of it all? What is the creator trying to say with this film? All I took away was that there was a great deal of technical prowess put in to create this film, but absolutely no meaning.