‘Demise’ Review: A Steamy and Unhinged Erotic Thriller
Tyler Doupe'
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Demise is one of those films that can’t easily be critiqued on a scale of good to bad. Is it a good movie? Not really. But that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. Demise is the cinematic equivalent of junk food and that’s ok with me. There are no heavy themes to unpack. There’s no subtext. It’s not even an exceptionally well-made film. But Demise isn’t setting out to serve commentary or provoke thought. No, Demise aims to function as an escapist thriller loaded with camp and plenty of steamy sex scenes. And I am pleased to report that it delivers on all those fronts.
In the film, Caleb (Carlo Mendez), a chiseled snack, and his wife, Celine (Liz Fenning), have a pretty great life. They own a gorgeous home and are in the process of starting a family. But what they have isn’t quite enough for Caleb. The unscrupulous DILF starts playing with fire when he begins a steamy affair with up-and-coming fashion designer Fiona (Crystal Hernandez). In true form, Caleb enjoys the exquisite sex he and Fiona have but he isn’t in a big hurry to leave his unsuspecting spouse. That is until he impregnates Fiona. Whoops. Poor Celine finds out about the affair and the baby it will produce on the same day she learns she cannot conceive a child of her own. That cruel twist of fate sets a violent (and often hilarious) set of events in motion that will forever change the lives of all involved.
As I mentioned previously, Demise isn’t an especially noteworthy achievement in filmmaking. But I don’t think writer/director Yara Estrada Lowe was trying to make a perfect movie. I think her primary objectives with this film are to entertain and titillate. And she delivers on both of those fronts reasonably well. Demise is ridiculous, predictable, and rarely grounded in reality. But it’s enjoyable for what it is.
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There are several pieces of Demise that work. But the most effective component of the picture is Liz Fenning as Celine. She has this incredible awakening where she’s tired of Caleb’s bullshit and decides to do something about it. Fenning makes that transformation so much fun to watch. The joy on her face as she’s making every effort to come between Caleb and Fiona is comical. She’s chewing up the scenery and giving off the exact type of villain energy needed for such a film. The way she effortlessly vacillates between meek and menacing at the drop of a hat is delightful to behold. Moreover, the manner in which she gingerly deposits a gallon jug of gasoline into a handbag after committing a bit of arson had me in stitches. Her character very much feels like she would be at home in a Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives, Why Women Kill) series.
Though most aspects of the film are formulaic, Demise does invert the conventional hero and villain roles. Celine is essentially the de facto hero of the film. Fiona and Caleb are awful people. They have no consideration for the pain they’ve caused Celine. Anyone in her position would be angry. Even though Celine carries matters way beyond the scope of what’s reasonable, it’s great fun to watch her exact revenge. The way she’s treated makes it easy to forgive some of her character’s eccentricities.
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As engaging as Celine is, I wish she had slightly more colorful costars. Caleb and Fiona are both serviceable. But neither is especially exciting. They are scripted that way to help us more readily identify with Celine. But the time we spend with Fiona and Caleb would be more pleasurable if each had a little more personality and a couple of redeeming qualities. We spend plenty of time with each and it eventually becomes tedious to do so for more than brief interludes.
The film runs a bit longer than it should at nearly two hours. So, making Fiona and Caleb slightly more relatable and trimming the runtime by about 25 minutes would have gone a long way.
The other aspect I have a slight issue with is the ending. Celine deserves a different conclusion to her story. As outlandish and farfetched as the proceedings are, it would have been permittable to give her more of what she was seeking. Conventionally, we should see an antihero punished for their crimes (think Walter White or the titular character from American Mary) and that’s probably why the film leaves off as it does. But Celine has been punished enough. Accordingly, it would have been nice to see her arc conclude differently.
All in all, Demise isn’t going to win any awards for originality. But this film is fun, silly, campy, and sexy. If that checks all your boxes, you can catch the picture via On Demand and Digital now.
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‘Demise'
Summary
‘Demise’ is an amusing distraction.
