MILLER'S GIRL (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Jade Halley Bartlett
Starring: Martin Freeman, Jenna Ortega,, Dagmara Domińczyk, Bashir Salahuddin, Gideon Adlon
Genre: Drama
Writer: Jade Halley Bartlett
Runtime: 93 min
Rated: R for sexual content, language throughout, some teen smoking and drinking
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

A talented young writer (Jenna Ortega) embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher (Martin Freeman) assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web. As lines blur and their lives intertwine, professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose and the things they hold most dear.

Review:

Before watching "Miller's Girl" I did a little reading up on it and found myself confused about what kind of film it's supposed to be. It's usually described as either an "erotic drama", a "romantic thriller", or worse, a "comedy" according to IMDb and Amazon Prime Video. Upon seeing it for myself I have concluded that it tries to be all of it (except a comedy, that's just ridiculous), and ends up not much of either. It's a movie that is as confusing as it is confused.

The premise is a disturbing one and it involves a potentially inappropriate relationship between senior year high school student Cairo (Jenna Ortega) and her creative writing teacher Jonathan Miller (Martin Freeman). The film is structured almost like a play, moving the story forward through dialogue, and the Lolitaesque psychological conflict makes for an intriguing first half. It's also helped along by strong performances from both actors. Unfortunately, the latter half devolves into an unfocused mess, giving us no real insight into these characters and squandering its strong buildup and provocative themes as it trips its way to the finish line.

Despite its relatively short running time, the movie felt like a slog to get through. I can understand why Ortega chose to be involved in this project. It's the kind of edgy role a young, up-and-coming actor would seek out to play in order to break out as a real actor's actor. It's an unfortunate shame that Ortega and Freeman's admirable efforts are wasted. The movie probably looked good on paper, an intellectual drama with lots of sexual tension and complex issues to ruminate over, but nothing comes together as it should.

The frustrating thing is that I could feel a good movie buried underneath the loose narrative and messy character development. It's chock-full of potential, but falls way short of its ambitions and becomes a thoroughly unplesant and unsatisfying viewing experience. I wish I could recommend this for the performances alone, but honestly, they're not enough to salvage this rambling mess.

SCORE: 5/10