An Imperfect Murder – The Private Life of a Modern Woman (2017)

Directed by: James Toback | 68 minutes | thriller | Actors: Sienna Miller, Alec Baldwin, Charles Grodin, Colleen Camp, John Buffalo Mailer, Nick Mathews, Steven Prescod, Oliver ‘Power’ Grant, Carl Icahn

A movie can do a lot to you. Movies evoke emotions in you, usually positive but sometimes negative. As in the case of ‘An Imperfect Murder’. At the end of this film, many viewers will wonder: “What have I just been watching for 68 minutes? Who decided that this vehicle should see the light of day at all?” It’s fortunate that this very imperfect film only lasts 68 minutes, but that doesn’t make the journey to hell for the viewer any less.

Charles Grodin (as the dementia/Alzheimer’s grandfather Arthur) stands out enough in what turned out to be his last role, but Sienna Miller (Vera Lockman) and Alec Baldwin (as Detective McCutcheon only 4 minutes into the film…) know despite pained looks, enigmatic dialogues (Miller) and a real Inspector Columbo act (Baldwin) are not convincing at all.

The film, also known as ‘The Private Life of a Modern Woman’, takes place almost entirely in the hip, large apartment of actress Vera Lockman. She struggles with her existence and hasn’t played a role for a while. And oh yes, she killed her criminal ex-boyfriend Sal. In restless flashbacks we see how this incident took place. Was it an accident, an attack out of sheer anger, or self-defense? Anyway, she is then visited by her current boyfriend, a confidant in the film world (director James Toback himself), her mother and her demented grandfather come to dinner and Detective McCutcheon pays her a visit. Last but not least, an old school friend of her grandfather’s comes forward (??!!).

From thesis to quarrel, from incomprehensible drivel to great emotion and from diary fragments to a suspicion of guilt. There is a lot of talking, but at the end of the ride it is almost impossible to tie a rope. Does she think or hope to get away with the alleged murder? Was it a bad dream that woke her roughly? Everything remains vague, very vague. Add to that the bloody irritating, too intrusive film score and you have a hopelessly failed film. The genre mentions ‘thriller’, but that doesn’t quite cover it. It’s just a movie about a woman trying to get her mind straight. The tagline of the film reads: ‘Truth comes at a price’. The real truth? Many viewers will drop out (well) before the end of this film, because ‘An Imperfect Murder’ demands too much of your patience. Waste of your precious time!