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Door Mouse (2023)

Door Mouse (2023)

6.8

A neo-noir with a grunge comic style that almost hits its crime thriller mark

Movie

Canada
English
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
2023

TLDR

This might've been better as an actual comic.

What it's about

A comic book artist working at a burlesque club investigates the disappearance of her friend when the police and her boss refuse to take it seriously.

The take

Overlayed with comic-style illustrations and cynical narration, Door Mouse is a neo-noir that struggles to supplement its visual flair with tangible characters. The titular Mouse is a horror comic by day and works at a burlesque bar at night, but she begins to worry when one of her coworkers is missing. From there, the film is a grunge cat-and-mouse chase into the underbelly of sex trafficking in the city. And although the direction is solid, the quip-heavy dialogue falls flat from characters that aren't fully fleshed out enough to pull off the right amount of chemistry for a justice-revenge tale. Thankfully, as a debut film for Avan Jogia as a writer and director, he's proven he has a narrative style worth looking out for. 

What stands out

It's fair to say that Avan Jogia knows how to style and frame a film. Even though it feels like a melting pot of dark, dirty, grunge aesthetics, the look of the film, from the comic style to the wardrobe, is consistent, making for an arresting watching experience. His camera work felt confident, and with a heavy subject out the gate, he's proven that making bold, disruptive comes naturally to him.

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