Prey

When a Korean woman (Sandra Oh, Double Happiness) sees a Native Canadian (Adam Beach) swipe some food from her father's grocery store, she accosts him only to discover that he's the brother of an old school friend. This is, apparently, good enough reason for her to chaperone the dude to a pawn shop (where he tries to trade in his gun for his sister's doll--which he'd pawned earlier; you see, he's a criminal with a HEART). Immediately after--and I'm sure you can follow the romantic logic here--they hop into bed. Later, after a visit from her grandmother (who doesn't approve of her granddaughter's choice of suitors nor the fact that this one has a gun), she lets her new beau borrow her car. In the forced ending, man, woman, father, and gun face off in the store. Director Helen Lee's Prey wants to be a hip, edgy comedy/social commentary. Instead, it's an unbelievable portrait of characters whose motives are a mystery, actions ring false, and words seem cookie-cuttered to fit the so-called plot. Not recommended, except for film school students, who will certainly feel inspired when they see how little it takes to get distributed. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)