Jezebel- "By manipulation and/or seduction, she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality.
New girl Emily Geiger (Emma-Jane Milburn) is the modern day version of the promiscuous Jezebel. She relishes in the desire from others, mainly the admiration from the opposite sex, much to their agreement, and she isn’t afraid to flaunt it. With her inability to keep 'exclusive relationships' she is the target for leering ministerial Faris Richardson (Jack Haswell), a teacher at the school in which Emily enrols. His obvious obsession with her, is apparent from the start, whilst he on looks with hatred at her profligate behaviour and flirtatious manner. As a man of morals and extensively religious, Emily is everything Richardson despises. With the intrusion of Emily on this small town, her elusive yet mysterious character brings an array of sinister consequences. In this chase-against-shadows thriller will Emily suffer the destiny planned for her by Richardson or will she be the exception?
From the director of Fishtank, Andrea Arnold, Jezebel takes a twist on the conventional coming of age narrative, similar to Arnolds previous films, the dark cinematography and disturbing screen shots leaves your mind ticking overtime.
Based on the bestselling book Jezebel- an immoral sin, by Allison Van Diepen (author of The vampire stalker) this psyco-thriller has similarities to James Mangold’s, Girl, interrupted. The star studded cast all have something to hide, something that Richardson believes is reason enough for them to be brutally murdered. As the film unfolds, although slow at first, each of the victims secrets are exposed.
Taking lead as Emily Geiger, Milburn’s passionate and insightful acting is the main ingredient to the film; everything revolves around her and her powerful element, ultimately winning her best actor. With her recent debut in the hit television shows Misfits, Milburn’s quirky yet intelligent persona, allows Jezebel to appeal to audiences on several platforms.
The quick cut, flashing, thrill-in-the-shadows cinematography cannot be faulted for the fear factor, but at times, can be seen as quite predictable. With the continuation of the shrilling choir hymn humming within each scene the film really gets under your skin and into your mind, with its questionable narrative, we are left considering our moralities.
Shrilling, dark and eerie. Jezebel is 4/5
