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Concussion DVD Review

     Actors: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Jonathan Tchaikovsky, Ben Shenkman, Julie Fain Lawrence
  • Director: Stacie Passon
  • Producers: Anthony Cupo, Cliff Chenfeld, Rose Troche
  • Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: ANCHOR BAY
  • DVD Release Date: January 28, 2014
  • Run Time: 96 minutes


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            I did not get this movie. I understood the premise as described by the back cover and the implications made by the title, but in the larger scheme of the film’s narrative it seems entirely insignificant. We are led to believe that a suburban wife and mother’s accidental concussion ends in a new career as a high-end prostitute, but there are never any attempts to make a connection between the two events. It would almost seem entirely unrelated if it weren’t for that title and plot description.

     

            Robin Wiegert (HBO’s “Deadwood”) stars as Abby, a lesbian housewife and mother of two. The film begins with the concussion, allowing the audience no comparison to Abby’s behavior before the hit on her head. Shortly after we see that her relationship with her overachieving partner, Kate (Julie Fain Lawrence), though it is never clear that these problems didn’t exist before Abby is hit on the head. It is also unclear how much of Abby’s increased sexual appetite is a result of the concussion and how much of it is merely her frustration with her marriage. Intention and motivation are far from understandable in this screenplay, which allows us to see Abby’s action but never to understand her motivation.

     

            The option to resort to prostitution is often seen to be a monetary choice, but Abby has no need for money with a workaholic wife, leaving pleasure as the only excuse for her abhorrent adulterous actions. There is no room for sympathy, because filmmaker Stacie Passon doesn’t develop her story beyond surface-level LGBT fantasy. Concussion can’t even work as a character study, because we are never allowed enough insight into Abby to feel we understand the motivation behind her actions.  

     

            The DVD is void of extras.

           

    Entertainment Value: 5/10

    Quality of Filmmaking: 4/10

    Historical Significance: 3/10

    Disc Features: 0/10

     

     

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