Dark Feathers – Review
Dark Feathers: Dance of the Geisha is a unique and intriguing film that blends elements of mystery, romance, and dance. The film revolves around Kate, a talented ballroom dancer who’s dance partners start dying mysteriously.
The film is an odd blend, and may not be to everybody’s taste. The dance sequences are beautifully choreographed and filmed, showcasing the grace and athleticism of the performers who are often clearly dancers rather than actors. The cinematography effectively captures the film’s dark and suspenseful Neo Noir atmosphere. There’s a scene where you see a drone fly after a car. I couldn’t work out if that was just the worst editing on earth, or if it was meant to be the shady cabals drone. Everything was kind of a haze by that point.
The film’s biggest weakness is the script. It’s preposterous, clumpy and frankly painful in parts. While the premise is intriguing, the execution would have Craig Revel Horwood raising his 2 paddle with glee. Plot points are underdeveloped and largely confusing and some of the side characters are underutilised, barely explained or just plain random. The dialogue is so stilted at times it’s distracting and takes away from the overall experience.
Crystal J. Huang delivers a strong performance as Kate, balancing the character’s vulnerability and strength with ease but couldn’t remotely get me to believe she was some kind of femme fatale, irresistible to all men, women and anything with a pulse. She is just a little too bland, and any erotic tension is quickly brushed aside with a fade to black, like everyone involved was too embarrassed to watch.
Michael Madsen is obviously shoehorned in to play off the whole Kill Bill thing, but a cranky American being a “white Samurai” master just made no sense to me. He plays his scenes in true Madsen style, but…
Overall, Dark Feathers: Dance of the Geisha is an ambitious film with a unique vision. While it may be far from perfect, it’s still an interesting watch for fans of mystery, dance, and independent cinema.
On digital 4 November from Miracle Media
