Film & Book Reviews by Ashley S.

We are only reflections of our experiences, or what we let them become inside of us. Ms. 45 starring ​​Zoë Tamerlis, is a exploitative thriller film that is centered around a female Kira that goes on a murdering spree after getting sexually assaulted by two in the span of a few hours. 

Thana is an idyllic girl, quiet and subdued – living in NYC as a seamstress. She navigates through the world by sound and remains mostly to herself. As I watched, I wondered to myself what she was thinking. I noticed immediately that she never had much to say, particularly when her coworkers would ask her to hang out with them after work. The plot thickens quicker than usual and she is dragged and assaulted by a man in an alleyway. I wanted so badly to hear her voice or help her scream, although she seemed to be suffering quietly, an agonizing pain that filtered through her soft, brown eyes. To top it all off, she makes it to her apartment only to be assaulted once more by a different man that broke in and waited for her to arrive. The viewer would find this to be rather insidious – yet, it made the intensity very fresh and sticky. 

As the dawn arrived, Thana resumed in an off-beat sense. She continued to work but she was clearly not okay. I kept wondering why she did not speak, until I finally realized that she was mute. This is a strength to the ferocity of her killing because she could not verbally recuse herself from any of her actions. She could not defend herself to these men that assaulted her. “Don’t be modest.” Said the second man as he proceeded to rape her. 

Unkempt, demoralized, seething. I could only imagine the pain that she found herself in. She seemed to pick up cues from her surroundings and took precautions on what she would do to dispose of this body. Flashes of the moments remained in her mind and she felt them overpowering her. 

Strengths in the film:

• Appearance and Will
• Kira of goodness 
• Mise en scene
• Her perspective

The visual imagery that was captured from her new persona really made me fall in love with Thana. Her features are beautiful, like a more magnetic Angelina Jolie. I think as the viewer, her mute condition gave her a more mysterious and deliberate performance. Her eyes spoke often and it was enthralling to watch her face as she looked onto others. You could guess what she was thinking – but never quite in full. 

The viewer may wonder about the interest of keeping the .45, the same murder weapon of the man that she dismembered and disposed of. Yet, this is what makes it more interesting. To constantly think of when and how she would ever be discovered. She made effective use of it. Thana was like a goddess in her own right, leading her faith through the gunfire and not giving a damn. I felt powerful through her, almost enamored with the way that she was so driven to continously impose her righteousness onto them. Thana’s morality was discarded the moment that was violated. There was no way to reason with her – she was on a high so high that you could not reach her cloud. She did have her coworkers who she seemed to have decent relationships with. It appeared that she was so encapsulated with her plans to descend the wrath of .45 bullets, she had no time to confide in anyone. 

Time period is evident in the film as it takes place in NYC. The viewer may or not be aware of how dangerous the streets were, even as crime has become more prevalent today. I can assume that the year is the 70s, evidentiary to the pernicious catcalls of men and the crosswalks. Thana is dreamily walking, watching, eyes on all of them. 

Other Aspects to Consider:

• Creativity/Originality
• Technicality
• Audience Engagement 

The director did a decent job of presenting the plot, along with the characters, but I think there were some technical issues that could’ve used more work. The camera work did have some good moments though. Audience engagement was about 70% due to camera movement and uncertainty of the plot. Originality was present and the creativeness of the story was quite moving. There is room for the viewer to feel remorse, pain, and sympathy. 

My Favorite Shot

Central Park Scene – Thana’s entrance was perfectly symmetrical as she became surrounded by the men in the park.

Another scene that I loved was the night of the Halloween Party, as she was preparing her gun and she began to kiss each bullet. 

Sealed with a kiss

I found myself very intrigued by Thana herself and everything that she did throughout this film. She was a natural born Kira with functionality of the plot on her side. 

Only burning question – 

Where was she getting bullets?