MOLLY (2017)
Label: Artsploitation Films
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 91 Minutes
Audio: English 2.0 Dolby Digital, 5.1 Dolby Digital with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Colinda Bongers & Thijs Meuwese
Cast: Julia Batelaan, Mounir Aboulasri, Annelies Appelhof, Cheraine Baljé, Joost Bolt, Tamara Brinkman
Molly (2017) is a Mad Max by way of Turbo Kid-ish post-apocalyptic thriller wherein the titular character, played wonderfully by young Julia Batelaan, is a scavenger in the wastelands. She's strong and is able to hold her own against threats while scouring the desolate land for the food and weaponry she needs to survive. The coastal area is ruled by bad-guy named Deacon (Joost Bolt) who reigns from what looks to be the ruins of an offshore oil rig, where he runs an underground fight club of sorts, wherein victims who have been drugged with some sort of serum which turns them violent, known as "supplicants", are pitted against each other for sport and entertainment. The preferred currency of the apocalypse seems to be bullets for weapons, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
We learn that Molly has a supernatural abilities, the power to a form a telekinetic force field, which have made her existence something of a local legend. When Deacon's marauders report back to him that she has killed several of his underlings he sends his minions to capture her, kidnapping her new found young friend as bait, luring her to his offshore lair, leading up to a violent bone-shattering finale.
Molly is a spunky and lo-fi of movie making, it has style and is imaginative with a lead character who is quirky yet strong, throughout we are given brief flashbacks about her past with hints of medical tampering leading to her abilities, it makes for a compelling watch. I did find it a bit difficult not to think of Turbo Kid while I watching this, I feel they're kindred spirits, and their stories could be happening in the same universe on different continents, so if you have an affinity for one I think you will dig the other. The story is definitely old hat though, there's nothing new under the post-apocalyptic sun here but they way it's told with a bold vision was strong enough to keep me plugged in right up tot he closing credits
The character of Molly is a cool-looking creation as we,l, she wears nerdy glasses, and is decked out in a post-apocalyptic 80's looking wardrobe. Her weaponry include a savage sword type blade, a homemade bow and arrow, and a pistol, not to mention her telekinetic defenses which she summons from time to time, plus a winged bird of prey which keeps her company and warns her of impending threats along the way. I like that she's not part of a group, she's solo, making her own way, keeping to herself, and actress Julia Batelaan really sold the character to me, conveying an inner strength, required vulnerability and determination the character needed.
There's also some cool baddies, a menacing tracker and a mechanical-armed woman are the highlights, the ringmaster-esque main baddie was the least interesting of the threats, his performance is the only one that stood apart as plain bad for me, but I'm willing to consider that has more to do with the English performance from a Dutch actor. That the film is largely wordless for a good amount of the time might have been a wide move, and that he probably had the most speaking parts might be why stuck out so sorely for me.
Audio/Video: Molly arrives on Blu-ray from Artsploitation Films, presenting the film in 108p HD widescreen (1.78:1) - the low-budget flick has an interesting look, high contrast and blooming with colorful, a unique choice for a post-apocalyptic film, plenty of bright colors using post-production techniques to saturate the color like an Instagram photo, I liked it. The image is nicely crisp with good clarity and depth. Audio comes by way of lossy English Dolby Digital stereo and surround mixes, the 5.1 is solid with good use of the surrounds, creating a good immersive experience, it's too bad we don't get a lossless option though, but the track is solid, optional English subtitles are provided.
Extras on the disc include an audio commentary from directors Colinda Bongers & Thijs Meuwese, a trailer and a thirty-one minute making of doc that consists of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the film.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Directors Colinda Bongers & Thijs Meuwese
- Making of Molly (31 min)
- Trailer (2 min)
Molly is a bad-ass and quirky slice of post-apocalyptic cinema, a few of the fight sequences look a bit stiff and sloppily executed, but it has a lot more going for it than it does against it, including a solid performance from Julia Batelaan as the titular character, a solid lo-fi film.
