Actors: Aneurin Barnard, Tuppence Middleton
Director: Iain Softley
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Number of discs: 1
Rated: Unrated
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
DVD Release Date: April 15, 2014
Run Time: 100 minutes
There are enough
moments in Trap for Cinderella that
are good enough to make a majority of the film feel like wasted potential, and
enough moments of contrived silliness to make the viewing experience feel like
a waste of time. For one thing, there are far too many scenes which feel
manufactured for the simple goal of showing Tuppence Middleton’s exposed
breasts as often as possible. The fact that the lead actress is nude nearly as
many scenes as she is clothed only highlights how failed the eroticism of Trap for Cinderella is, which is
disappointing considering how little else there is to offer within the
narrative.
Director Ian
Softley adapted the Sébastien Japrisot novel for his Hitchcockian tale of
confused identity, hinging the entire narrative on a relationship that is
difficult to care about and a twist which is easy to guess. Middleton stars as
Mickey, a 20-year-old who awakes in a Swiss hospital after a tragic explosion
injures her and kills a childhood friend named Dominica (Alexandra Roach). Amnesia
prevents Mickey from understanding what happened, and we are privy only to the
facts as she remembers them. This means a great deal of the film is spent in
flashback, learning about the tumultuous relationships that surrounded Mickey
prior to the accident.
There are many
problems with the approach to material, with the most glaring
being a lack of relatable characters within the narrative. In most cases,
learning more about characters leads to increased empathy. This isn’t the
result of Softley’s filmmaking process in Trap
for Cinderella, which hinges entirely upon plot twists without realizing
that one must care about the characters in order to be concerned with what
happens to them. Softley opts for exposed breasts and an over-reliance on the
pop soundtrack, making this feel like a lazy hipster Hitchcock film. The DVD
includes cast and crew interviews, along with a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
4.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 2.5/10
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