Magenta (1997)

Directed by: Gregory C. Haynes | 91 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Julian McMahon, Alison Storry, Marklen Kennedy, Crystal Atkins, Gedeon Burkhard

Obscure erotically tinted trinket with largely unknown actors, which is poorly executed on all fronts. The only bright spot is protagonist Julian McMahon as Doctor Michael. His role is the most important and it has been a wise choice on the part of the director to make McMahon the central figure of the film. Meanwhile, McMahon has made quite a splash with roles in TV series such as ‘Profiler’, ‘Charmed’ and ‘Nip/Tuck’ and as Victor von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.

His acting is thorough and realistic, in contrast to the title character Magenta (Atkins). Why this film is named after her is a mystery, as she only has a supporting role. Perhaps her role is so limited because of her also limited acting talents. Atkins has to pass for a sixteen-year-old (aided by the stuffed animal she drags everywhere, but she is clearly of age. That does not make the common thread of the film any less cliché: the man who falls for his wife’s sister. …with his best friend Craig (Kennedy). This can never be thought through. Perhaps the “twist” in this case is that Craig is bisexual and occasionally makes advances towards Michael in a very direct way. Of course Craig is too a cocaine addict and tries to drag his friend and colleague Michael down the wrong path.

The fact that ‘Magenta’ had a limited budget can be seen from everything. The sloppy camera work and the rough editing actually speak for themselves. Although the film was made in 1996, it seems to be somewhere in the 80s due to the way of lighting. This is facilitated by the synthesizer music, which quickly gets on the nerves. There is a chance that the composer duo Kloser and Schobel (who would later work on larger projects as well) were inspired by the 80s images and decided to give their own twist to the synthesizer sounds of the 80s series ‘Miami Vice’. In any case, it doesn’t work here at all.

After finishing the list of clichés from the genre ‘erotic drama’, the makers decided to throw in another thriller element, resulting in a dramatic denouement (which the film also opens with, to give a preview). This little plot is dragged in, with poor Magenta also being blamed for everything. A better actress could have done something with this, but Atkins also lets this opportunity pass her by with her bambi eyes, so that the film gets bogged down in scenes that have been seen much more often – and much better – in films. The finale is then more of a fluke than a direct hit, without the viewer being affected or even involved in the fate of the main characters.