In 2017, we at team THN were first introduced to the work of Natasha Kermani with the achingly beautiful, Imitation Girl. The film screened at that year’s Arrow Video FrightFest, and captured our attention with its cool brand of science fiction and philosophical musings. Now Kermani returns to the film festival circuit with new film, Lucky. Written by Brea Grant, whom also stars in the lead role, tells an intricate tale of one woman at the point of crisis. May (Grant) is a successful self-help guru whom is having a hard time getting her latest book off of the ground, which soon proves to the least of her worries after a masked man breaks into her house in the middle of the night. May manages to get rid of the man, and believing him to be gone, starts to go about her normal life, but the man keeps reappearing in her home night after night. After a less than stellar amount of help from the police and those around her, she sets about taking matters into her own hands.
Brea Grant is always great in whatever she does, but in Lucky she really gets time to shine, being present in pretty much every frame of the film. It’s a big undertaking, but considering that Brea wrote the source material, she is clearly intimately familiar with the project and it shows through her performance. Grant knows exactly who May is and how to convey her emotions in the slightest of gestures. What makes May so special though is that she is almost the antithesis of the typical female character placed into a situation like this. Yes, May spends her nights being stalked by a weird man in a mask, but May is far from being a victim. Usually, the character arc would be ‘meek mouse turns into mighty lion to take on her tormentor,’ yet May is already pretty mighty. To use the horror terminology – May is already the finale Final Girl when we meet her. Her journey is much more internal as she struggles with feelings about a past trauma in her relationship, and the stagnation of her career. Her approach to the problem is logical and practical – descriptors that aren’t traditionally aligned to those types of female roles who lean towards being more hysterical and impulsive. It’s a brilliant play on conventions that we’re all used to, and here’s hoping they pave the way for more movies to break with tradition.
As much of the foundation as Grant’s script provides, for May’s attitudes and behaviours, credit should also be given to Kermani for embracing and nurturing them. Another director might have pushed and tried to retrofit the character into the expected victim box. Instead, Kermani amplifies the message set out in Grant’s text and the result is a true testament to female empowerment. In terms of aesthetic, Lucky isn’t as ethereal as Imitation Girl; Kermani respects the story and houses it within a more normal visual framework. There are some great camera sequences and shots within, especially during the confrontational scenes. The accompanying still to this article is one of the standout shots and showcases all the attributes of May that we’ve previously discussed.
In terms of set design, May’s house has been perfectly crafted to also reinforce aspects of May’s psyche. The house is neat, tidy, and super-organised, and reflects May’s outward public persona. Costuming and make-up also play a key part in getting across more of May’s inner workings. The hair is a particular aspect to pay attention to; it’s almost always tied up and intricately plaited, but there are moments when it gets let down and May gets to let loose. Accompanying the film, we have Jeremy Zuckerman’s score, which is a mixture of heart-piercing strings and Midsommar-esque choral voices. Just as the hair and condition of the house are visual clues to the audience about May’s state, this music is an aural indicator.
Tonally, the film isn’t quite as serious as you might expect given some of the subject matter, and has a hint of Scream and Happy Death Day to it. Kermani has generated a fun environment for Grant to let loose in, and the results are magic. In Lucky, we have found an absolute dream-team pairing of Brea Grant and Natasha Kermani, we’ve got everything crossed that this won’t be their only collaboration.
Lucky was reviewed at Fantasia 2020.
Lucky will be available on Shudder from 4th March 2021.
Lucky
Summary
A gutsy, kick-ass performance from Brea Grant combines with intricately thoughtful directing by Kermani to create a refreshingly modern spin on the tormented female story.
