The Misogynist
- Directed By: Chai Dingari
- Written By: Chai Dingari
- Country: USA
- Released: 2011
- Running Time: 12 minutes
- Drama, Films Online, Reviews
The Misogynist isn’t really a film that fits its title. It is much more a film about frustrated ambition which is no bad thing in itself but does mean that the end result is a drama I didn’t expect.
The film centres on Harlan (Pascal Yen-Pfister), a photographer who has run out of inspiration. Tired of repeatedly re-shooting the same projects, he has hit the visual equivalent of writers block. That is, until he starts to use his wife (Rhea Sandstrom) as his muse.
The results are both personal and inspired and leave his agent, Frost (Timothy J. Cox) more than a little concerned about Harlan’s state of mind. Frost tries to steer him back towards more mainstream work and, at this point, things start to take a turn for the dark.
What writer/director, Chai Dingari delivers is a stolid story competently executed. There is nothing that I can find fault with but nor can I say the film gripped me as much as I had hoped. I think that the reason for this is primarily due to the film’s length.
This is a short film in which the central character’s obsessive perfectionism begins to destroy his relationship, and his sanity, but we don’t spend enough time with Harlan to really appreciate this. As such, this could have been a much stronger film if it had been a little bit longer.
That said, the film’s ending is very good indeed.
You can see for yourself, though, as the film is available online and embedded below.
The Misogynist
