Review by John Delia
Creepy and candid the true story Tape tells an explicit tale of the casting couch. It may not be a definitive look at recent events, but what does come to pass is a realistic view of one woman’s bane affected by a scam. Its show business at its lowest level of taking advantage of a young movie star wannabe who thinks she has struck gold. Openly informative while entertaining as a narrative, the film should scare sex tape scammers while warning bogus casting directors that it won’t be as easy as it was to steal ones dreams.
Rosa (Annarosa Mudd) is on a mission that’s about to take some critical twists and turns. Changing her looks and attending casting calls by talent scout Lux (Tarek Bishara) gets kind of weird at first, until she overhears something familiar. Another budding actress Pearl (Isabelle Fuhrman) has been offered a “protégé program†by Lux who will manage the young woman to uplift her career. It’s a deal Rosa was offered by Lux when she was a fledgling actor. If she can succeed in preventing the same bad outcome for Peal she had, it would erase some of the shame that ruined her future.
Tricky, she gets to know Pearl, but only enough to keep her plan on target that will get the evidence to stop the sex monger. Director and writer Deborah Kampmeier takes Annarosa Mudd’s similar incident in her life and adds a few touches of her own to bring the unconscionable act to the screen. Using Mudd’s Rosa as the subjugating character to Isabelle Fuhrman’s Pearl, Kampermeier depicts Mudd’s actual experience. Even though there was no Rosa to film the act in real life, it’s a brilliant depiction of Mudd’s actual sexual manipulation. Kampmeier works the script a bit beyond the dastardly deed by the character Lux with a wishful ending one can cheer for.
Without the stellar acting of a fine cast, especially Annarosa Mudd, Isabelle Fuhrman and Tarek Bishara, the film would not have been as impacting or passionate to drive the point home. Mudd’s Rosa puts the film into perspective showing her determination to take her former manager down. As the innocent actor caught up in the scam, Fuhrman shows the vulnerable side to Pearl that falls for one last chance to make it in New York. But, it’s Bishara’s performance as the powerful exploiter who makes the film work by delivering the heinous sleaze ball to the screen.
Tape has not been rated by the MPAA, but it contains sex/nudity, language, and a gory cutting scene. Think a possible R rating that would be inappropriate for youngsters and immature teens.
Vimeo Plug-ins from the Tape website:
Scheduled to release in theaters on Friday, March 27th, TAPE will now be available at theatrical screening times, followed by online live panel discussions about the film and the topics it addresses, through Crowdcast. Daily screenings at 7pm EST will be followed by a panel conversation with different special guests every night from Thursday March 26th to Thursday April 9th, during our ‘theatrical window.’ Panelists to join director Deborah Kampmeier include members of her cast and crew, with additional participants to be announced. Viewers will be able to interact with the panel, asking questions and being a part of the discussion, moving from isolation to connection, through the power of the shared experience. The film will then be available beginning April 10th on VOD platforms Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay and Microsoft.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A brave film that should caution budding actors, male and female. (5 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Annarosa Mudd, Isabelle Fuhrman, Tarek Bishara, Isabella Pisacane, Eve Austin, Allison Winn, Alexanna Brier, Kana Hatakeyama
Directed and written by: Deborah Kampmeier
Genre: Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, sex/nudity language, gore
Running Time: 1 hr. 42 min.
Opening Date: March 27, 2020
Distributed by: Full Moon Films
Released in: Vimeo Plug In’s on March 26 followed by VOD platforms Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay and Microsoft on April 10th.
.