Women Who Kill

14^th October 2016 9.00pm at BFI Southbank (NFT)
15^th October 2016 6.30pm at Prince Charles Cinema
16^th October 2016 3.30pm at Hackney Picturehouse

Women Who Kill is a great example of what good, entertaining cinema ought to be like. It is superbly directed by Ingrid Jungermann, who simultaneously wrote and starred in it as its main character Morgan, a lesbian radio show host with a fascination for – unsurprisingly – female serial killers.

When the gangly and somewhat awkward Morgan begins dating the mysterious Simone (Sheila Vand), this meets with adversity from her friends who are convinced this woman is shady – particularly so from Jean (Ann Carr), Morgan’s roommate, fellow Women Who Kill radio show host and coincidentally ex-girlfriend. But when it becomes obvious that Simone is the apparent daughter of a serial killer, Morgan becomes suspicious too.

Dark, yet highly comedic, it is likely that Women Who Kill is a movie that is suited for a specific audience – one that enjoys witticisms mingled with morbidity. The dialogue between former paramours Morgan and Jean and their friends is absolutely hilarious. Jungermann’s dry-ish commentaries are perfectly timed, but it is especially Shannon Patricia O’Neill as Morgan’s totally butch dearest friend Alex who is guaranteed to get the laughs, with her brutal honesty and casual rudeness.
It is likewise entertaining how something as horrible as murder becomes such a mundane topic – like a competitive hobby. When Morgan and Jean talk to a convicted killer, she is seen to have tremendous pride in her “work” while offering snide remarks to those so-called colleagues she deems unworthy. Women Who Kill also constantly attempts to tantalise its audience with impending murder, sustaining tension as to whether or not Simone can be trusted, while also retaining some of its humour. But ultimately the film is left strangely unresolved, albeit not annoyingly so.

Kim Varod

Women Who Kill does not have a UK release date yet.

For further information about the 60^th London Film Festival visit here.

Read more reviews from the festival here.

Watch a clip from Women Who Kill here: