Dot The I

Novelist-turned-filmmaker Matthew Parkhill's feature debut, a self-conscious thriller in the convoluted neo-noir tradition of THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994), revolves around a woman with a dark past and the two men competing for her tortured affections. But its seductive stylishness is undermined by one narrative twist too many; by the time the last revelation has been unveiled with a "But wait!" flourish, the contrivances have entirely overwhelmed the characters. Hot-tempered Carmen (Natalia Verbeke) fled Madrid for London in hopes of escaping her past, especially the ex-boyfriend who scarred her with acid. She seems to have found the perfect man in handsome, independent...