Karter (Venkat Sai Gunda) is a mute photographer specializing on portraits - and he's quite good at it, too, so he has become a bit of a celebrity in modelling and acting circles, and his headshots are in high demand. Thing is, he has a nasty habit of sometimes brutally killing his models. It's not that he doesn't know this is wrong, and he even tries to hang himself to escape his guilt, but enter Lucy Hill (Simone Stadler), an at first sight bubbly acrress who implores him to take pictures of her despite not having an appointment, something he at first declines, but then again she's likeable enough and even speaks a bit of sign language, so it doesn't take her long to win him over. Thing is, she knows much more about him than he would like her to, including that his dad (S.S Arora) killed his mother (Jeannette Nina), and that this murderous streak might be hereditary - and as good as their session might have started, Lucy riles up Karter enough that he eventually lunges at her with murderous intent - only Lucy's not where he thought her to be, or anywhere in his house. Instead, the house is filled with painful memories from his childhood (where Karter's played by Harshavardhan Gudipati), with dead decaying models coming back to life, and with a new Lucy (Kelsey Stalter), who seems to be something like a messenger from hell - all of which is of course enough to drive a man to utter despair ...

Now above synopsis, while objectively correct, doesn't do The Deserving much justive, as it's not a movie that relies much on linear storytelling once the first act's out of the way and instead presents a pastiche of flashbacks, associations and illusions, all seen through the eyes of the film's slightly deranged and guilt-driven protagonist. That this actually works is thanks to a script that's stringent despite not being linear, an atmosphere-heavy directorial effort that makes the most out of its limited locations, and a strong central performance by Venkat Sai Gunda, who even without dialogue manages to make his character utterly relatable, and he's supported by a great ensemble. Maybe not for everyone due to its narrative structure, but a very cool genre ride for those inclined.

The Deserving will be released worldwide on digital download on October 1st 2024 under the genre label The Horror Collective.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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