Stray, to be blunt, suffers from a lot of pretty weak
deliveries on part of many of the actors.
I actually found myself cringing during several scenes when the
intensity was turned up by Dan McGlaughlin playing “Greg”. I just was not convinced. That is not to say that Dan’s performance was
all subpar. He delivered his softer
lines much more paced and smooth, bring the sincerity through.
The beautiful Gabrielle
Stone played the lead role of “Jennifer” and I personally loved her
performance. I really identified with
this character meeting people just like her in my life. “Jennifer” was like a ghost. You really do not know where she comes from
and really do not know where she goes.
She is a person that makes you very uncomfortable, but you want to still
learn her story. This is the root of her
power over people. That is the one thing
that Stray left me wanting more of
though. “How did you end up like this
Jennifer?” We do get some flashbacks
explaining some of her childhood, but in general, it is a mystery.
The whole mood of Stray is just very oppressive, even
though all of these events happen in a picture perfect all-American small
town. We get some shots of the town and
I was reminded of the juxtaposition presented in David Lynch’s brilliant Blue Velvet. We have this cute little town, but there is
still this dark feeling you have because you know what ugly things are really
happening in its underbelly.
All in all though, Stray does really fall short of being a
truly great drama. I never felt myself
rooting for any of the characters in this film, I was just waiting for the end
to come already knowing what was going to happen before it happened for
me. Stray,
really does capture a darkness that I still can’t put my finger on though,
and I think that is the films main saving grace.
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- Scott W. Lambert