Proxy

Indie filmmaker Zack Parker's psychological thriller Proxy carries a bit of the sinister vibe found in early works of Brian De Palma and David Cronenberg, although it possesses neither the former's stylistic flamboyance nor the latter's intellectual depth. The story begins with a horrific scene in which a pregnant woman named Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) is brutally attacked by a hooded figure after leaving her doctor's office, and loses the baby. While attending a group meeting for grieving parents, Esther encounters Melanie (Alexa Havins), whose child was abducted, and the pair become fast friends. But neither woman is who she seems, and the plot turns that involve both will gradually lead to ever more disturbing revelations and gruesome acts of violence—especially after a third woman, Anika (Kristina Klebe), an angry sociopath recently released from prison, enters the scene, culminating in a surprise ending that is charged with irony. While the performances are not top-drawer and viewers can never be sure whether the hints of dark humor are intentional or accidental, these are qualities characteristic of low-budget guilty pleasures. Proxy may not be an instant horror classic but it is fascinating as much for its sheer perversity as its slow-burning tension. Recommended. (F. Swietek)