Black Eyed Susan

Model Yvonne Emilie Thälker makes one hell of a screen debut in Scooter McCrae's sci-fi horror film. Thälker plays a BDSM sex robot nicknamed Black Eyed Susan by her creators because she is designed not only for intercourse but to receive and appreciate physical punishment from men who get off on hurting women. Damian Maffei stars a down-on-his-luck, recently single guy named Derek. After learning that his friend Alan (Scott Fowler) has committed suicide, Derek is offered Alan's former job at the tech company developing these robots. The CEO, Gilbert (Marc Romeo), assures Derek that the intentions behind this technology are strictly altruistic, providing abusers with an outlet for their aggression outside of normal human society, but Derek is not entirely comfortable in his new job. He and Susan develop a strange relationship, leading Derek to confront profound existential questions.

Shot in just nine days on 16mm film, mostly in nondescript rooms, McCrae (Shatter Dead, Saint Frankenstein, Sixteen Tongues), producer Aimee Kuge (Cannibal Mukbang, The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, The Sheep Remain),  cinematographer Anton Zinn, and this impressive cast are able to create something intimate without feeling stagebound and disturbing without feeling exploitative. Black Eyed Susan doesn't go in all the directions you expect, but where it ends feels like an apt commentary on our technological future. There are a couple of clumsily scripted moments that seem there to set up things that are never mentioned again, like the fact that Susan records everything she witnesses—why introduce this potentially narrative-altering detail if you're not going to do anything with it? Still, the performances, unsettling vibe, and score by Fabio Frizzi are so compelling these few jarring lines don't break the film's spell. Romeo's performance is outstanding. He's one of those actors who just oozes untrustworthiness without having to do anything, and he wisely plays Gilbert like he genuinely believes his company is providing a public good. He's an incredible villain, but a film like this lives or dies by the dynamics created between its lead actors. Thälker and Maffei deliver.