Movie Review: Heather

Travis (Nick Matthews) has been coasting through life with little regard for the damage he leaves in his wake. Currently being taken care of by older “sugar momma” Caitlyn (Sean Young) he continues to date other women behind her back. One-time high school classmate Heather (Pooya Mohseni) looks to be one of them after the pair are set up by a mutual acquaintance.

Meeting up for coffee and a nature walk, it seems like the date is going well, until Travis awakens to find himself tied to a table in a darkened basement. Heather emerges from the shadows and intimates that she’s interested in some kinky fun, but Travis is understandably upset about having been drugged and resists. When Heather’s coy banter begins to take on darker undertones and she reveals that she knows quite a bit about him, he begins to wonder what her true intentions are for bringing him home.

This movie is likely to leave the viewer with very mixed feelings. On the one hand, the central plot is highly engaging and keeps the audience guessing just where it’s all headed, even if some of the “twists” are spoiled by the film’s marketing. Writer / director Repinski knows how to generate suspense and makes the most of his small budget. Additionally, the cast really give it their all, with Mathews ably keeping his sleazeball character from feeling irredeemable and Mohseni truly standing out by blending a sense of calculating menace with a deep well of sympathy-engendering pain. Colin Bates also does great work, but to say more about his role would ruin a surprise or two.

The movie isn’t without some serious flaws however. The opening sequence winds up feeling wildly out of place with the rest of the movie, seemingly cut from a campy John Waters film and dropped in just to give the talented Ms. Young a role. Additionally, the dialogue and voiceover can feel clunky at times, especially in the beginning. When the film’s biggest reveal is made it creates some troubling implications for a very marginalized community that perhaps Mr. Repinski would do well to better educate himself about and that I’m surprised the relevant cast member didn’t push back on, even if it does redeem itself at least a little bit by the end. Speaking of which, the tragic romance angle tacked to the finale feels wholly unearned and seemingly exists for the sole purpose of setting up a reference to Romeo & Juliet, though it does wrap things up on a suitably sad note.

Overall Repinski shows a lot of promise here and maybe just needs an experienced co-writer to help him refine his ideas a little better. Heather tells an engaging story that will hook audiences as it leads them to some truly shocking territory. When it comes to the more sensitive subject matter it covers it may have had its heart in the right place, but the execution could have been handled with a bit more care. Regardless of how Heather makes you feel by the end, you’re not likely to forget it. ★★★