To find that this film is based on a book based on a true crime story – look up Pamela Smart – is no great shock. Ringing as true to today’s social media-obsessed populace as it did to the daytime TV desperates of the Nineties, Gus Van Sant’s cinematic portrayal of how far fame drives a person off the deep end inspires laughs, gasps, and perhaps a few wolf-whistles at the totally gorgeous Nicole Kidman as ruthless newlywed Suzanne Stone. The film’s done mockumentary style, which lends a little levity to an otherwise dark dive into – to reference a modern Suzanne figure – the Erika-Kirk-ian mindset. Worth a watch not just for young Kidman and the bushy brows of Dan Hedaya but also for a surprise appearance by my favorite Canadian, David Cronenberg. Don’t worry; you’ll know him when you see him. – James Scott
