''Deadly Illusions'' is a 2021 American erotic thriller film written and directed by Anna Elizabeth James and starring

Kristin Davis Kristin Landen Davis (also listed as Kristin Lee Davis; born February 23, 1965) is an American actress and producer. She is known for playing Charlotte York Goldenblatt in the HBO romantic comedy series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004). She ...

Dermot Mulroney Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films. Appearing on screen since 1986, he is known for his work in various films such as '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' Stay ...

Greer Grammer Kandace Greer Grammer (born February 15, 1992) is an American actress and former beauty queen. She is best known for her role as Lissa Miller in the MTV series ''Awkward'' and for her role in the 2021 Netflix-released film '' Deadly Illusions''. ...

, and

Shanola Hampton Shanola Hampton (born May 27, 1977) is an American actress best known for her role as Veronica Fisher on Showtime dramedy '' Shameless'' and as the face model of Rochelle in the video game ''Left 4 Dead 2''. Acting career 2000–2010: Early c ...

Plot

Mary Morrison, a successful author of thriller novels, is happily married to Tom with two young children. Her publisher, asking her to write another book, offers a two million dollar advance; she initially declines but has to accept after Tom says he lost half of their estate on a risky investment. Mary's friend Elaine suggests hiring a nanny to help with the kids as she writes and, after a few interviews, she employs Grace. Mary has

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

and uses her blossoming friendship with Grace to inspire her. Mary then starts having what appears to be

sexual fantasies A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered aut ...

about Grace. She also seems to dream about Grace and Tom engaging in

sexual activity Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) ...

in the kitchen, but cannot tell if it is real or her vivid imagination. Confronting them both at the dinner table in a tearful rage, she upsets the children and causes a divide between her and Grace. The following morning, Mary apologizes to Grace, saying her outburst was the result of working too hard. She then calls the nanny agency to ask why they haven't cashed her check yet, and they tell her it's because she hasn't gotten back to them about her choice of a nanny. Mary asks if they have a nanny called Grace in their service and they say no. Mary goes to see Elaine and finds her dead with a pair of scissors in her neck. Contacting the police, to her surprise and horror, she learns she is the main suspect. The police reveal there is a great deal of incriminating evidence, including a video of what appears to be Mary arriving at Elaine's house, although her face is obscured with a headscarf and sunglasses, and her latest book has a murder with scissors. Mary then travels to Grace's hometown, visiting her aunt, who reveals Grace had been abused by her parents as a child, and herself also exhibiting odd behavior. Mary calls Tom to warn him about Grace but he does not answer. At home, he is in the shower when Grace walks in dressed in lingerie and brandishing a large knife. She continuously switches from her usual sweet, soft-toned self to a violent seducer with a deep voice. As she attacks Tom, Mary arrives home. Grace claims to not know what happened, repeatedly saying, "I couldn't stop her." Grace suffers from

dissociative identity disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

, and her other identity "Margaret" is who attacked Tom. Mary eventually knocks Grace unconscious. One year later, Mary and her family are together. Mary takes the finished manuscript of her new book to Elaine's grave and leaves it there, as it was Elaine who encouraged her to start writing again. She then goes to visit Grace in a mental hospital. The film ends with "Mary" leaving the hospital, her face obscured by a headscarf and sunglasses, as in the police video of Elaine's killer.

Cast

as Mary Morrison *

as Tom Morrison *

as Grace *

as Elaine * Marie Wagenman as Alex * Shylo Molina as Sam * Melissa Chambers as Grace's aunt * Shaun Wu as Kioki * Abella Bala as Darlene

Production

The film was shot in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, in 2019.

Release

The film was released on March 18, 2021, by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. It was the most-watched film on the platform in its first weekend.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 21% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/10. Rachel Willis of ''UK Film Review'' wrote, "This movie wants to keep us guessing, but it's never enticing enough to make much of an impact."

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title 2021 films 2021 LGBT-related films 2021 psychological thriller films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2020s erotic thriller films American erotic thriller films American LGBT-related films American psychological thriller films English-language Netflix original films Female bisexuality in film Films about writers Films shot in New Mexico Lesbian-related films LGBT-related thriller films Voltage Pictures films