February 18, 2020
Kill The Monsters
Roger Walker-Dack READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Now on DVD and VOD
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This ambitious dramedy "Kill the Monsters" is the sophomore feature film from writer/director/actor Ryan Lonergan, who also produced and edited. It is a clever American allegory that tells the tale of a charming gay 'thruple' who embark on a road journey right across the country when the newest member of their partnership gets a mysterious illness that the NY doctors cannot cure.
One of the trio is rapid-talking, highly judgemental Patrick (played by Lonergan), who is a very successful blogger. Patrick tries to be practical about everything, but often doesn't succeed, as he insists on overthinking everything.�Hunky Sutton (Garrett Mckechnie, who many may recognize as the co-owner of Bar Mattachine in L.A.) is a trust fund baby who is much more impulsive, and way too keen on keeping his stash of recreational drugs well stocked.�The baby of the group, Frankie (Jack Bell), is young and cute and has added fizz to thruple's sex life. He's the one who's ailing, and he persuades the others that the treatment he needs can be provided by a holistic doctor in California.
Lonergan links the highs and lows of their journey to mirror key points in United States history by breaking it all down into chapters. In one instance, their road trip results in a civil war and possible breakup (Chapter 3, 1861); in another, an all-out (poker) war involving scheming, sophisticated, German and Russian lesbians�echoes World War II (Chapter 8, 1945).
Shot on the most miniscule of budgets (which never seems to hamper either the style or the production values), Lonergan's resourceful movie is quite the argument that thruples could be the relationships of the future.�Beautifully filmed in black and white, and with the inspired use of sonorous classical music for the soundtrack, the film is funny, extremely quick witted, and thoroughly entertaining until near the very end, when the confused storyline started to test our patience.
Lonergan is an inspiring and obviously extremely talented filmmaker, and we cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.
