''Perpetrator'' is a 2023

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

written and directed by

Jennifer Reeder Jennifer Reeder (born 1971, Ohio) is an American artist, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Her short film ''A Million Miles Away'' (2014) was nominated for a Tiger Award for Short Films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and screened at the ...

. It stars Kiah McKirnan, Melanie Liburd, Ireon Roach, Casimere Jollette,

Tim Hopper Tim Hopper is an American actor known for his appearances in movies like '' Tenderness'' and ''To Die For''. He has been an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois since 1988 and acted in various stage product ...

, Josh Bywater,

Chris Lowell Christopher Lowell (born October 17, 1984) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Stosh "Piz" Piznarski in the television series ''Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007), William "Dell" Parker in the television series ''Private ...

and

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prom ...

. The film follows Jonny, an impulsive teenage girl living in a town where young women continue to go missing. It was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award at the

73rd Berlin International Film Festival The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale (), took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since the 70th in 2020. The festival has added a new award for best te ...

, where it had its world premiere on February 17, 2023. The film was released on the streaming service

Shudder Shudder may refer to: *Shivering * ''Shudder'' (album), a 2008 album by American band Bayside *Shudder (streaming service) Shudder is an American over-the-top subscription video on demand service featuring horror, thriller and supernatural fic ...

on September 1, 2023.

Cast

* Kiah McKirnan as Jonquil "Jonny" Baptiste * Melanie Liburd as Jean Baptiste * Ireon Roach as Elektra * Casimere Jollette as Aviva *

as Gene Baptiste * Josh Bywater as Officer Sterling * Audrey Francis as Marcy * Christopher Lowell as Principal Burke *

as Hildie Baptiste * Sasha Kuznetsov as Kirk * Ilirida Memedovski as Avalon * Greta Stolte as Darby

Production

's second feature to screen at Berlinale, following 2019's '' Knives and Skin'', is produced by newly turned producers, Paris-based sales agent WTFilms. It also marks her third collaboration with

, since 2021 anthology film ''

V/H/S/94 ''V/H/S/94'' is a 2021 American found footage horror anthology film, and the fourth installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise. The film originates from a screenplay written by David Bruckner and Brad Miska, with segments directed by franchise r ...

'' and 2022 film ''Night’s End''. Reeder and her crew shot ''Perpetrator'' in Chicago during March 2022, which she described as "a miserable time to shoot a film, but we got beautiful footage."

Release

''Perpetrator'' had its premiere at the

on February 17, 2023. It was reported in December 2022, that

had acquired the distribution rights. It was invited to Horizons section of

57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival took place from 30 June to July 8, 2023, in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.Will Tizard"Russell Crowe, Alicia Vikander Wow Karlovy Vary Film Festival Crowds as 57th Edition Kicks Off" ''Variety'', 30 ...

, where it was screened on June 30, 2023.The film was selected for Festival She Makes Noise 2023, where it was screened on October 20 (Spanish Premiere). The film was released on September 1, 2023.

Reception

Jessica Kiang reviewing at Berlin Film Festival, for '' Variety'' wrote, "The tonal uncertainty is hardly helped by an arch performance style that too often strays closer to play-acting than acting — an impression enhanced by the disparity in age between much of the principal cast and the teenagers they’re playing." Jude Dry reviewing for ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

'' graded the film B− and wrote, that the film "suffers from a novice lead performance and a script that tries to do too much." Dry praising Silverstone stated, "she is a steely delight as the sharp-tongued and demanding mystery lady." Concluding she said, "There are satisfying genre elements, to be sure, ''Perpetrator'' cannot be accused of playing it safe."

Accolades

References

External links

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