Considering that the majority of films released nowadays feature men in their leading roles, it’s a pleasant change to see indie feature Compulsion switching it up. Not content with one actress, there’s the delight of both Heather Graham and Carrie-Anne Moss co-starring in this upcoming thriller from director Egidio Coccimiglio.
A remake of the Korean film 301, 302, Compulsion ties together the obsessive habits of two women living in the same apartment building. Graham plays Amy, a gourmet chef with the desire to make every evening meal spectacular, twisting her culinary affection into a scheme to manipulate those around her. Upon meeting her new neighbour, Saffron, who turns out to be a child star she once adored, she launches a campaign to win over the former actress.
It all sounds rather Single White Female, and that template is one which has been recycled plenty. However, judging from this trailer, Compulsion is aiming for a bizarro blend of stalker kitsch and soot-black comedy. It’s not clear if that is indeed the film’s intention or if it’s a straight-laced approach badly edited for the trailer. There’s a lot of scenes in here to indicate we’ll be seeing the obligatory lesbian clinch, over-the-top shouting and unappetising shots of bleeding meat. There’s a distinct whiff of the unorthodox here, and if it does what this trailer proposes, we could be in store for a cult comedy treat.
Amy (Heather Graham) is a vivacious and charismatic gourmet chef, with a dangerous appetite. She uses the most sensual of cuisine to lure her prey and turn them into victims of her twisted methods of controlling relationships and creating intimacy. When Amy realizes her new neighbor Saffron (Carrie-Anne Moss) is the former child star she has always idolized, she uses her prowess in the kitchen in an attempt to dominate her.
Compulsion opens in the US on June 21st.
