“The Holly Kane Experiment” at SLIFF 2016: In This Thriller, the Mind Is Merely Malleable Clay

In most respects, British director Tom Sands’ intriguing but sloppy thriller The Holly Kane Experiment is indistinguishable from any number of indie genre pictures with more ambition than resources or discipline. Set and shot primarily in the gray damp of Sand’s native Brighton in East Sussex, the film is centered on the titular Holly (Kirsty Averton), an experimental psychologist who has developed a therapeutic subliminal learning system. A less generous observer might be inclined to call it brainwashing. When a wealthy, grandfatherly benefactor named Martin (Nicky Henson) appears and offers to finance Holly’s clinical trials, she jumps at the chance, reassured by the man’s Eton bearing and reputation as an anti-cult advocate. Naturally, Martin is not all he seems, nor is Dennis (James Rose), an agreeable yet anxious stranger who cajoles his way into a date with Holly just as her professional path begins to shift.

Working from a screenplay by his father Mick Sands, the director employs resonant espionage and psychological thriller elements in a manner that is mostly understated, which keeps Holly Kane from veering into pulp territory. The exceptions, such as Matthew Neal’s vile, bespectacled hit man, are accordingly vivid. The film unfortunately suffers under the clumsy, wandering character of the aforementioned screenplay, which lacks focus with respect to both plot and theme. There’s also an off-putting cheapness to the whole affair, evident in the slick photography, dull locations, and tinny, insistent score. Still, credit where credit is due: Even if Holly herself never quite evolves into a proactive heroine, the film features an unexpectedly robust and feminist attentiveness to the manipulative tactics employed by men. Sands bestows Holly Kane with a touch of political bite by quietly equating the gaslighting of an abusive relationship with the conditioning propaganda of governments and corporations.

The Holly Kane Experiment screens at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8 at the Landmark Tivoli Theater. For tickets or additional information visit the Cinema St. Louis website.