Review of "Video Diary of a Lost Girl"

In Video Diary of a Lost Girl, Lindsay Denniberg brings us an unusual and ticklish tale of a demon enamored by love most unnatural. The initiates a series of bold and chaotic images with an unnerving illustration of Lillith, who, according to Jewish Folklore, was the first woman. Made from the earth just like Adam, Lillith refused to submit to her male counterpart. After he raped her, she made love to demons and gave birth to the new race of women: the Lillin. 

After the poignant and hooking introduction, Denniberg's film introduces the demons as creatures of modernity. They seem like normal girls who like to party and eat Cool Ranch Doritos, but there is one thing that's a little different: they fuck to live and fuck to kill. Once that time of the month rolls around, they bleed and it doesn't stop until they get a little somethin' somethin'. If they don't cookie their nookie, they will bleed to death, but if they harvest on time, the lover becomes the victim. Enter the youngest Lillin: Lousie. Outcast from the other Lillin, Louise is awkwardly passing her time working at an adult video store as she approaches her centennial. She quietly minds her own business, acting as close to human as she can, until the day that her very first victim,  the man who broke her death cherry, returns from the grave for a little visit. The audience soon learns that despite her demon DNA, Louise fell in love with her exed and his return proves no easier.

Video Diary of a Lost Girl
Starring: Priscilla McEver, Chris Shields
Directed by Lindsay Denniberg
My Opinion: I see a cult following...
and I'm at the front.

With all the mythology and rules and regulations of demon-hood, there is a shit-ton of story and background to communicate. However, Denniberg's spicy but casual dialogue successfully articulates the doomed love story intertwined in this unfamiliar fantasy world. The expressionalist style and use of video effective communicates the tone of the Lillin's tale. In addition to the never ending parade of enamoring imagery accented by homages to horror classics, the soundtrack creates an atmosphere of haunted lust. The voices are akin to Siouxsie and PJ Harvey tragically dying together from a  heroine overdose, yet the resulting sound is breathtaking. Somehow, the film also makes room for several catchy tunes that have adhered themselves to my cranium.

Naturally, the film isn't without its imperfections. I will reluctantly admit that the acting is one of the film's weaker points. That being said, a certain presence of awkward moments and rocky delivery have become a staple in the world of indie filmmaking, however, the dialogue in Video Diary is so clean and natural that it minimizes the shortcomings of any of the actors. Furthermore, the richness of the characters in the film prove that Denniberg sculpted each actor into their roles. In the end, everyone is very convincing and every performance has some truly, lovely moments.

Video Diary of a Lost Girl is a lot to take in one sitting. The film could be construed as another flick about an angsty adolescent demon confronting her first romance. However, it gets a little more tenderhearted than you'd expect. Even the darker moments have a spooky charm with a level of cult-class that's as addicting to original films of Tim Burton (Pewee's Great Adventure, Mars Attacks!). I'd also say that the horror films of Peter Jackson's early career were brought to mind. It's truly a wonderfully entertaining gem of indie film: dark and funny with just a touch of sweetness. It is seriously impressive for a feature debut.