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Lifetime Movie Network’s kicks off its Fall movie nights with the aptly themed ‘Stranger Danger’ collection of films, and the first movie actually fills the bill perfectly. It even comes with a title that makes perfect sense — Not So Perfect Stranger — and succeeds on all counts because of its cast and simplicity of the story.
Kirsten Comerford stars as Ava, recent divorcee who is having a hard time letting go of her past, with both her therapist and bestie Ginny (Jinesea Lewis) suggesting the best way to get closure is to revisit the ‘scene of the crime’ … Niagra Falls, where the wedding took place. And Ginny is more than ready for a little road trip herself, so she finally convinces Ava to pack up the car and hit the road, and once she gets there, she can put everything behind her by throwing her wedding ring into the Falls (now, most people would probably pawn it to get some cash but you do you, girl). Still not ready to do the deed, Ava and Ginny hit a local restaurant and while Ava is at the bar ordering drinks, she meets cute guy Wyatt (Jon McLaren) and might actually feel a bit of a spark. The two make some small talk and when Ava returns to the table, Ginny is thrilled to see Ava making a possible connection with another man (calm down, girl). Wyatt then leaves and arrives at a house in the middle of nowhere, and the young woman who answers the door is not happy to see him. Apparently he’s become obsessed with her after a one-night stand, believing they are destined to be together, but Wyatt has to face the fact that she is not interested in him when another man comes to the door and shoos him away. But Wyatt doesn’t leave. He waits until the couple are asleep, sets up a bright strobe light outside the house to lure them out, and ends up killing the other guy, Thomas, and abducting Kirsten (Catherine Saindon).
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The next day, Ava decides to go to the Falls and get rid of the ring, but she is still reluctant to do so and accidentally drops it over a railing, where it lands on a ledge. Desperate to get the ring, Ava climbs over the railing and retrieves it, but she can’t haul herself back. Luckily, Wyatt happened to pull up with the intention of dumping Thomas’ body, but he ends up saving Ava instead. She notices a big scratch on his neck and applies a Band-Aid from his first aid kit, drawing a smiley face on it (Ava has apparently never applied a Band-Aid before because she puts the sticky part along the length of the scratch). The two bond and Wyatt gives Ava his card and he drives her back to her cabin. Ava then goes out with Ginny to take some photographs along the river (with a real camera), but Ginny has had enough of nature and heads back. Ava spots what appears to be someone trying desperately to push a body into the river and takes a picture (with her phone instead of the camera dangling from her shoulder), unaware that she has been spotted by Wyatt. She calls the police to tell them all that she can, but Wyatt is concerned she knows the person was him, so he sets up a ‘date’ with her to see if she actually saw him. Ava brings Ginny along, but Ginny makes things awkward by making excuses for having to leave, but Wyatt feels confident Ava did not see his face clearly after they chat and she shows him the picture on her phone. He does become concerned though that the license plate on his truck is clear and visible enough for the authorities to track if she sends it to the police. Later that night, he breaks breaks into Ava’s cabin and quietly steals her phone and wedding ring. But when trying to quietly exit the cabin, a creaking floorboard awakens Ginny, and Wyatt conveniently has some chloroform with him so he knocks her out and takes her back to the barn where he’s holding Kirsten in a crate. With ring in hand, he forces it onto Kirsten’s finger, basically making them married, and then he closes and locks up the crate until she finally accepts her new life with him. She bluntly tells him she would rather die, but Wyatt is an optimist and hopes for a change of heart. Ava is concerned in the morning when Ginny, her phone and ring are missing but a call comes in to Ginny’s phone … from Ginny, who is forced to deliver a message from Wyatt — what is Ava’s phone unlock code? Ava can tell Ginny is in distress and gives her the code, but the call ends and Ava is warned not to get the police involved. But while pondering what to do, Ava spots something on the floor — the Band-Aid from Wyatt’s neck. Now she knows who has Ginny and it becomes a race against time to save her friend, with or without the help of the police but how much time does she have?
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Not So Perfect Stranger really kicks off the ‘Stranger Danger’ theme with a bang with a taut, gripping story by Shawn Riopelle which creates believable characters — who manage to not do anything really dump just to forward the plot — and builds up the tension as Wyatt becomes more unhinged, leading to what feels like should be the climax but the story is not done as the tension is amped up even further, giving us one shocking death and putting another life in the balance. The final moments may be a little too quick and tidy but it still works. Director Alexandre Carrière does a great job building up the dread, taking us almost into true horror movie territory in the final scenes, eliciting terrific performances from the cast.
Comerford is very good as Ava, playing the character constantly with her walls up, too attached to her past — perhaps Ginny finally revealing that she ran into Ava’s ex with his new, pregnant, girlfriend (Ava realizes that the pregnancy timeline overlaps with her still being in a relationship with her ex) finally pushes her to open herself up a bit more and ditch the ring, but she feels a bit dejected when she tries to go in for a kiss with Wyatt and he shows no interest, allowing Comerford to reveal more of Ava’s anxieties but never allowing her to be weak. It’s a nice, subtle performance. Lewis is terrific as the outgoing Ginny, always trying to lighten the mood, trying to get Ava to move forward with her life, but never afraid to tell is like it is. She also realistically portrays the fear and terror of her situation when Wyatt abducts her. Lewis makes Ginny such a well-rounded character that the viewers would be absolutely gutted if she does not survive. Catherine Saindon also does a really good job with her limited screen time as Kirsten. At first, she is a woman who is not afraid to tell Wyatt to his face that she isn’t interested, and she never gives in to his psychological and physical torture (thanks to a script that never allows any of the women to simply be victims). When she is finally freed from her captivity, Saindon projects that trauma but allows herself to be comforted by Ava.
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Jon McLaren is outstanding as Wyatt. He seems like an average guy when Ava meets him, so when he goes full ‘American Psycho’ it becomes quite a jolt, especially as he deftly switches between the obsessed with Kirsten Wyatt, and the nice local guy Wyatt who Ava is getting to know. At one point his rage boils over and McLaren’s performance as he angrily yells his lines is authentic and terrifying, never coming across as cartoonish or campy. His rage feels real, and he makes Wyatt’s descent into madness authentic. It’s something that could go completely over-the-top, but McLaren’s skills as an actor, and an excellent guiding hand from the director, always keep us riveted, on the edge of our seats wondering what Wyatt will do next. Excellent work.
It’s a long shot to hope that all of the ‘Stranger Danger’ movies will be this good, but LMN chose a stellar film to kick off the month. If you’re looking for a real nail-biter to enjoy, you can’t go wrong with Not So Perfect Stranger.
Not So Perfect Stranger has a run time of 1 hour 27 minutes, and is rated TV-14.
Doesn’t everyone carry emergency chloroform?
Nice writing.
You always have to keep some handy!
Thank you!