Time: 106 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Violence, offensive language, sexual material & content that may disturb
Cast:
Kate Hudson as Bonnie “Bonnie Belle” Hunt
Jun Jong-seo as Mona Lisa Lee
Craig Robinson as Officer Harold
Ed Skrein as Fuzz
Evan Whitten as Charlie Hunt
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

Before going into Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon at the local film society, I didn’t know much about it beyond recognising a few actors in the cast. It was a pleasant surprise, I quite liked it.

Mona Lisa starts out with a familiar setup with a woman with psychic powers breaking out of a mental institution, but then goes in a very small scale direction instead of escalating, which I appreciated. It has quite a mix of tones and genres, having some harsh reality and unpleasant moments, but it was also goofy, quirky and darkly comic. It was overall a far lighter movie than I was expecting it to be. Much of the movie doesn’t have a strong drive, it takes a laid back and chill approach and it is almost a hangout movie as we watch the protagonist living and interacting after spending so long inside a single room (she just also happens to have powers). The hangout approach to stories doesn’t always work for me, but I was invested in this one. It is a pretty thin and uncomplex movie, and I feel that it could’ve gone into further depth in some areas. I do appreciate that they didn’t try to explain the powers, but I felt there could’ve been a bit more to the story and characters than there was.

Jeon Jong-seo is great in the lead role, especially conveying a lot through her body language. There’s also a good supporting cast with the likes of Kate Hudson, Ed Skrein and Craig Robinson. I liked the dynamic between Jeon and Hudson, Skrein gives a very different but charming performance, and Robinson does well in a more straight performance from him as a cop investigating into the lead character.

The film is directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, who as it turns out previously made A Girl Who Walks Home at Night. I really like her work here, her direction feels fresh and her style added so much to the movie. It’s very well shot and lit, and I was really into the neon vibes, which was paired with a great soundtrack.

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is a stylish, entertaining and charming fantasy thriller.