Search - 3 Steps to Heaven on DVD

SEAN'S SECRET LIFE

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 04/19/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An independent film from the Miramax Studios, 3 STEPS TO HEAVEN is a seriocomic, dark and ultimately pretentious "art" film from the directorial vaults of Constantine Gianarris. The film's narrator is a young woman who has been rescued (from what I'm not sure) by a studly 19 year old named Sean. She takes him home like a stray puppy and they ultimately become lovers. One night she hauls Sean off to a fancy club and he never returns. Days later, his body is found in the river. Accidental death? Or murder? Influenced by Robbie, a friend of Sean's, Suzanne decides Sean was murdered. He was last seen leaving the club with three people: Angel, a conman in trouble with gangsters; Harry, a political figure who is being investigated for alleged sexual acts with an 18 year old; and Andrea, a talk show host whose garishness and bitchiness go hand in hand. Suzanne buys a gun and decides to make them pay for Sean's death. The script has some amusing segments, and the tone shifts artfully from rather dark humor to out and out viciousness as Suzanne finds she has help in eliminating the trio.

The late Katrin Cartlidge (so good in "Weight of Water") portrays Suzanne as a waifish executioner, but her own mental state reveals an obsessiveness and mental instability. Her performance is deft and sharp, but she never makes Suzanne a sympathetic character. Stuart Laing as Sean doesn't have a lot of screen time, but the audience finds out the handsome young man isn't quite the man Suzanne has described for us. Frances Barber as Andrea chews up the scenery, reminding me of Lynn Redgrave in her Georgy Girl days; her performance while over the top is believable. James Fleet as Harry, the bisexual politician, is sharp and witty, but falls victim to an untimely demise. Con Elliott as Angel essays a hammy bravado but his death scene on the balcony with the ballet assassin is original and creepy at the same time.

3 STEPS TO HEAVEN is not your conventional thriller, and while I admire it for its originality, it's not a very pleasant movie and it's ending seems flat and uninspired. Ms. Cartlidge's untimely death at the age of 42 halted a career that might have achieved more notoriety, given her vast potential."