Jagged Mind

Well, I had actually never heard about this 2023 thriller movie titled "Jagged Mind" from Hulu, prior to sitting down and watching it. But that only meant that writer Allyson Morgan and director Kelley Kali had every opportunity to impress me. But "Jagged Mind" turned out to be a rather bland thriller. Sure, the concept of the storyline, as written by Allyson Morgan, definitely had some interesting aspects to it. Just a shame that it wasn't properly utilized or delved further into. As such, "Jagged Mind" turned out to be a somewhat less than adequate thriller laced with some supernatural voodoo elements. The acting performances in the movie were fair enough. I wasn't familiar with anyone on the cast list though. "Jagged Mind" ran for 88 minutes, throughout which the narrative was just going straight out of a path without any turns, twists ups or downs. And yeah, that made for a rather bland viewing experience. Especially since you would be expecting something to get your heart pumping from a thriller. While I managed to sit through the entire ordeal, this is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I will recommend for fans of the thriller genre to rush out and get to watch. My rating of "Jagged Mind" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Billie- a lesbian art curator from Little Haiti- is stuck in a limbo, between her former lover; favourite artist; and mysterious new girlfriend. One of which seems to have some suspiciously nefarious intentions. Her former lover is toxic. Her new girlfriend is clearly gaslighting her. And her favourite artist seems to know more about her than she possibly could. All of which comes on, as she begins to suffer from- what seems like- a progressively deteriorating neurological issue, that has her memory running in loops. So...she's unable to rely upon her own recollection. Putting her in a position where she doesn't know who to trust. Some people in her life, seem to be trying to help her...while others are out to exploit her condition, in an attempt to manipulate her, for their own ends. And it's not until the bizarre, villainous, twist comes around, that these convoluted series of events take on any sort of clarity. With Billie, inevitably, taking the initiative to take fate back into her own hands. As you might have guessed...it has something to do with Voodoo. And an inherently toxic love triangle. Though, why she particularly became the target...and what ends the villain is trying to achieve...are not exactly clear. Unless, we are to assume, it's solely due to her proximity to their previous lover. That being said, it's not an uninteresting story. And it has an intriguing plot structure. But it comes off a bit convoluted...especially at the beginning. Before offering too straight up of an explanation. Which kind of detracts from the element of mystery, in my opinion. Though, considering it is only director Kelly Kali's sophomore feature...I think it will be interesting to see how she matures into a filmmaker going forward. Because she definitely has potential. But from an entertainment/engagement perspective...this one gets a "meh", from me. 4.5 out of 10.

Billie- a lesbian art curator from Little Haiti- is stuck in a limbo, between her former lover; favourite artist; and mysterious new girlfriend. One of which seems to have suspiciously nefarious intentions. Her former lover is toxic. Her new girlfriend is gaslighting her. And her favourite artist seems to know more about her than she possibly could. All of which comes on, as she begins to suffer from- what seems like- a progressively deteriorating neurological issue, that has her memory running in loops. And unable to trust her own recollection. Putting her in a position where she doesn't know who to trust. Some people in her life, seem to be trying to help her...while others are out to exploit her condition, in an attempt to manipulate her, for their own ends. And it's not until the twist comes around, that these convoluted series of events take on any sort of clarity. With Billie taking the initiative to take her fate back into her own hands. As you might have guessed...it all has something to do with Voodoo. Though, the why never becomes inherently obvious. That's not to say an explanation isn't offered. But it doesn't explain why she was targeted in the first place. Unless, we are to assume, it's solely due to their proximity to one another. That being said, it's not an uninteresting story. With an intriguing plot structure. But it comes off as a bit convoluted...especially at the beginning. Requiring a straight up explanation, in order for it to make any sense. Which kind of detracts from the element of mystery, in my opinion. Considering it is only director Kelly Kali's sophomore feature...I think it will be interesting to see how she develops as a filmmaker going forward. But from an entertainment/engagement perspective...this one gets a "meh", from me. 4 out of 10.