'Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon' A Review

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is a New Orleans set fantasy thriller about an escaped mental patient who has mind control abilities. Mona(Jun Jong-seo) escapes an institution and encounters stripper Bonnie(Kate Hudson) and befriends her son Charlie(Evan Whitten). Mona and Bonnie develop an uneasy criminal partnership utilizing Mona's power. The cops, already after Mona after her escape, close in.

Jong-seo puts in an appropriately odd almost alien performance, unsettling yet alluring. Hudson goes full on as the shitty stripper mom- it's by far her best role and performance in quite awhile- complicated, funny, dark, dimensional, it's wonderful to see. Whitten is good for a child actor, especially towards the end of the film. Craig Robinson in a supporting role as cop is wonderful, as always, and functions as a much needed grounding agent. Ed Skein as Fuzz, in almost an extended cameo is delicious and surprising, kind of a wiser, benevolent version of Alien from Spring Breakers. There is a lot of talent in the cast but the characters are kind of superseded by the tone.

Like all of Ana Lily Amirpour the production design is immaculate and transportive. The dark of New Orleans at night is lush, the neon and lights crackling, the costuming and set design realistic but hyper specific. And above all the score, this electronic, eerie, propulsive sound that almost never fades during the entire runtime. All together it creates a big mood. Each element(as well as the acting and script) equally working together to create this cohesive whole, it thrills. The pacing lags a bit in the middle, doesn't detract much but you're left with the feeling that this is a good 106 minute film and it could have been an amazing 90 minute one.

Visually rich, addictive score, and a solid script make for a wonderful ride.

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

See It.