‘Val’ review: Dir. Aaron Fradkin [Grimmfest 2021]

Directors Tim Burton and Sam Raimi have been a constant source of inspiration for burgeoning filmmakers ever since they each created their debut features. Since they broke onto the scene, their zest for creating has sparked the imagination of many, in turn leading to some equally brilliant slices of cinema. Director Aaron Fradkin is one such person to take inspiration from both Burton and Raimi for his film Val. Set over the course of one day the story picks up as criminal Fin (Zachary Mooren) breaks into a house in search of refuge from the police hot on his tail. The property that Fin has invaded belongs to Val (Misha Reeves), a high-class escort who quickly proves herself to be way more dangerous than Fin could have anticipated. 

Misha Reeves is phenomenal as Val. She is a bundle of energy that is incapable of being contained and requires Reeves to maintain that high-energy throughout, but the actor makes it look effortless. There’s also a lot of monologue work with the character, Val almost literally talking Fin’s ear off, and Reeves handles the challenge impressively well. It might sound strange, but sometimes a lot of dialogue in a movie can really wear it out and, depending on the story, becomes a little tedious. Here though Reeves carries the words with her stimulating performance; Reeves also plays Val with a simmering touch of mischievousness. It’s clear to the audience that the character has something up her sleeve, her constant double entendres pointing to something devious, and yet Fin appears completely oblivious. These exchanges help the humour to permeate the piece. 

This humour is pushed further by several sequences of physical comedy; it is a comedy of errors kind of situation that captures your attention and causes the occasional chuckle. It’s important to stress that Val isn’t a laugh riot consisting of a barrage of jokes and silliness, it’s more subdued and elegant than that, but still evokes funny moments that work as a conduit for the story and characters to connect with the audience. The interactions between Reeves and Mooren work well, the viewer quickly picking up on Fin’s exasperation at the situation he has found himself in. Throughout the film it’s revealed that Fin might not be quite the hardened felon initially presented and with that information one can’t help but start to feel a little sorry for him after landing in the situation that he has found himself in with Val. It’s an interesting story point put forward by Fradkin and co-writer Victoria Fratz, Val and Fin both shift from victim to villain and back several times, leaving the viewer questioning who they should be vying for. 

Reeves channels her inner Mae West as the vampy seductress and wears garments to match. The costumes for Val are stunning. They elicit pure silver screen era Hollywood glamour in a similar fashion to Anne Biller’s The Love Witch. We are also treated to a ton of costumes, Val seemingly changing from scene to scene, keeping to the mantra that a lady should always appear her best. The creme de la creme of these outfits comes in the form of a little red number that instantly transports the viewer to the wedding scene in Beetlejuice. It’s a perfect inclusion and will leave many yearning to have a whirl in Val’s wardrobe in spite of what consequences that might entail. The make-up is also on point, Val never without dark lashes and a red lip, not forgetting the immaculate further reinforcing her old-school pin-up persona.  

Lifting ideas from both Evil Dead and Beetlejuice, Val is a more dialogue driven affair than either, but still manages to retain the energy that makes each a classic. A comedy horror film whose emphasis relies on words as a vessel for the story rather than actions, Val is seductively entertaining. 

Val was reviewed at Grimmfest 2021. It is available to watch now in the US.