FilmSnobReviews

Title: Rosy
Rating: NR
Director: Jess Bond
Starring: Nat Wolff, Stacy Martin, Johnny Knoxville
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

What It Is: An obsessive lover, Doug (Wolff), kidnaps an aspiring actress, Rosy (Martin), in an attempt to begin a relationship with her. 

What We Think: Captivating from the start, this is a modern and twisted take on the kidnapping story-line. When Rosy is suddenly kidnapped on her walk home, I knew what to expect for the rest of the plot– or, at least I thought I did. When the kidnapper, Doug, is revealed as a socially awkward, love-struck man with good intentions instead of a stereotypical kidnapper, I almost felt sympathy for him. Towards the end of the film, I actually did. Rosy made me forget that the antagonist was, well, a bad person. The director, Jess Bond, could not have done a better job creating unique and developed characters. Sometimes, it was difficult to see Rosy’s true thoughts or feelings about Doug; however, this could just be a result of how great the character is as an actress. As the plot thickened, the two characters “relationship” seemed more and more lifelike rather than someone being forced into it. Moreover, it was gratifying to watch the antagonist change from apologetic to completely paranoid. It’s as if we saw the antagonist become a bad guy, which creates a dissonance as to how the audience feels about him. We become attached in a weird, Stockholm-y way, like Rosy. Wolff and Martin’s performances captured a surprising new take on (what is now turning into) a cliche kidnapping genre.

In terms of how the movie was shot and edited: absolutely phenomenal. The vintage atmosphere was consistent throughout the film. The transitions between scenes were perfect and made me chuckle because of how clever some of them were! The dialogue seemed natural and both characters had light-hearted, almost comedic parts to relieve tension. My favorite thing about Rosy is that every single scene had meaning and added to the story. Not once was there any filler. Each scene kept me interested and progressed the story in some way, whether it was an insight into Rosy’s past or a current event.

Our Grade: A, This film had a steady pace with twists that definitely kept my attention. This film definitely begs the question: what would you do for love?