Directed By Robert Budreau

Starring – Stephan James, Marisa Tomei, Paul Walter Hauser

The Plot – A convicted man (James) embarks on a journey of violence and redemption to find out the truth about his sister’s (Genelle Williams) death.

Rated R for some violent content and adult language

DELIA’S GONE Official Trailer (2022) – YouTube

POSITIVES

Very few films can properly establish a lived-in consciousness in the setting that makes it feel like a character of its own to the narrative, but Budreau’s history for direction has always lent itself towards geographic identity, this time with a personal coincidence that I can wholeheartedly vouch for. “Delia’s Gone” is set and shot on location in the northwest Ohio, with a small-town vibe that not only elicits with it a claustrophobic antithesis to the conflict, but also illustrates an air of authenticity to its citizens, both in accent and personalities, that feels directly plucked from the heartland of America. In garnering such, much of the reactions and the way the townsfolk see and treat Louis feels ingrained with honesty, regardless of the awkwardness of the engagement, constructing an unfiltered backdrop with just as much influential presence as those of its characters. Aside from this, the performances override some of faulty characterization that limit the appeal of its characters, all the while supplanting for James a duo of a dedicated spin that is at the very least memorable with what he’s able to attain. James plays a mentally handicap character, which is never an easy turn to take based entirely on the possibility that it could always come across as insulting. However, his grip on the deliveries of the character, as well as the subtle nuances that he continuously contributes, feels rich with respectful commitment to the role, and for him supplanting what is easily the most ambitiously challenging role of the youthful actor’s early career. Finally, while there is an abundance of problems with the story that I will eventually get to, the 85-minute run time is a welcome pleasantry in contrast to the lack of depth to the narrative, in turn progressing it smoothly enough with an urgency in pacing that constantly keeps it moving, while never undercutting the layer of much-needed exposition. Because of such, the movements of the mystery are always in drive, leading to few moments of down time in between, or scenes that don’t add something constructive to the benefit of Louis’ own investigation into the night in question.

NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, Delia is gone, and she takes the prominence of this film right along with her. This is first as a result of the script itself, with a mystery that is not only predictably obvious about a quarter of the way through the film, but also one that is never approached with much of an air of excitement or revelations that can pull us along into the detriment of its characters. This sentiment is equally reciprocated in the almost complete lack of emotionality of its pivotal sequences, registering as flatly as possible in the direction of Budreau, who never intensifies the altercations to anything beyond melodramatic, in turn reaching a comfortability that is every bit as disingenuine as it is undercooked. On top of this, the film uses the handicap of its character as a plot device of convenience to casually convolute what would otherwise be a ten-minute movie to this kind of surface level mystery. As I previously stated, the performance from James is respectful enough, but the treatment of his condition used as a gimmick goes beyond irredeemable, giving the film a shameful tastelessness that is made all the more troubling because the script never attempts to tackle the character beyond the hinderances of his condition, leaving him feeling as shallow and underdeveloped as the aforementioned conflict that only ever meets us halfway to intrigue. Beyond this, the dialogue is equally problematic, hammering home the intention with these painfully forced lines that feel giftwrapped for trailers to pull audiences in, but never resonant of the atmospheric consistency of what’s contained inside. This is especially the case with Tomei’s character, who on her own direction is steered to laughably bad and over-the-top sentiments to an otherwise top tier actress, but with dialogue in tow, feels plucked directly from a 90’s Steven Seagal movie. Her character is often an insufferable bitch for the sake of illustrating a hard-edged sheriff, but instead comes across as forcefully rude and mean-spirited to the characters she interacts with, leaving us with a nagging difficulty in balance once the script deviates away from Louis’ investigation into the murder of his sister. Then there’s the ending itself, a dejectedly constructed mess that not only wants to have it both ways with regards the resolution of its narrative, but one that feels primed to underwhelm audiences with the kind of inconsequential final blow that perfectly summarizes the duration of the experience. When the confrontation comes to a boil, it’s implanted with an earth-shattering blow. The kind that might be testing of the patience of its audience, but one that impacts, nonetheless. Then it directly contradicts this notion in the following scene, with a last-minute detraction that completely wipes away the meaning of the sentiment, in turn directly undercutting the air of its temporary bravery for a safe, sedated sponging that is too timid to choose, and too convenient to ever feel compelling.

OVERALL
“Delia’s Gone” is a monumental failure for Budreau, and one that with it doesn’t garner enough surprise or momentary intrigue to elicit a compelling level of suspense to justify the engagement. With a monotonously sluggish level of emotionality, and the treatment of mental health used as a gimmick of convenience for its mystery, the film is a predictably undercooked idea at best, with 85 minutes of stagnant storytelling contributing to the one-dimensional cause that is only environmentally fleshed out.

My Grade: 4/10 or D-