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Movie Review: The Cry of the Owl


    Hey, everyone. Carley and I stayed at home tonight and watched a really odd movie. It is an older show (2009) and is titled The Cry of the Owl. Let me start out by saying that I don't think this film depicts anyone who can be considered normal or what one might call a hero. It is freaky, really. But, it is really good! It is beautifully written, (by Jamie Thraves and Patricia Highsmith) with so many little subtleties that don't beat you over the head, but rather have to be picked up as you listen to dialogue and remember things. Here's the recipe.
     Robert Forrester (Played by Paddy Considino) is an engineer for an aerospace firm. He has recently left the big city and moved to small-town America. He is troubled by depression, his pending divorce and his lovely psycho wife, Nickie. (Played by Caroline Dhavernas.)
    So, he's all alone in a rented house and starts the show by hanging around outside a lady's house at night and watching her through the windows. That really creeped me out, but then she catches him and talks to him about it. She invites the nut inside for coffee, which means she is probably just as nuts as he is. Her name is Jenny Thierolf and she is played by Julia Stiles.
    Jenny is a bit crazy because she lost her little brother when she was young and she thinks owls are bad omens and that fate controls all meetings. Like, say, even peeping Tom type of meetings.
     This movie is so full of twists and turns. I would say to Carley, "Wow, he's nuts." Then she would say to me, "Wow, she's nuts." For instance, Jenny has a boyfriend whom she clearly loathes. His name is Greg. Jenny starts to stalk Robert, showing up at his job, his house and at the grocery store. She is weirding out the peeping Tom and he tries to distance himself from her. Ha, ha. He got what he deserves, as a peeper, right? Wait, it gets odder. While driving one night, Robert is stopped by angry Greg, because Jenny has dumped his red-neck behind. Uh, that sounds odd, let me rephrase. Jenny had dumped Greg. Ha, ha.
    So Greg starts to give the brainy, but non-physical Robert, a sound beating. Robert gets in a lucky punch and knocks Greg out. Greg has had the poor judgement to fall in a river, so Robert fishes him out and leaves him on the bank. Alive.
    Next thing you know, the local Gendarmes (Police) come to Robert and accuse him of killing Greg. No body has been found,
 but the lovesick Greg is missing.
     The plot thickens. Evidence piles up against the peeper. Jenny throws herself at Robert. Meanwhile the dangerous ex-wife continues to rattle Robert's world.
    I won't go any further, lest I spoil a dozen more surprises. Watch for the subtle things in the movie. 1) The door on the cabinet that gets torn off. 2) The song that plays during the credits. 3) Jenny's choice of foods and music. Just to name a few.
    This show has an odd ending. Surprise? No. I really liked it and would rate it as at least a 4 stars out of 5. Maybe a 4.5 stars out of 5. Maybe a 5 stars out of 5. Carley rates it as a 3.5 stars out of 5. By the way, there is violence, no nudity (darn) and a lot of cursing. It is on Encore this month. Try it if you think you'll like it.
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
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