7 KEYS
7 Keys is a debut feature film from director Joy Wilkinson and will be having its UK Premiere at the 25th edition of London’s FrightFest film festival as part of the infamous First Blood strand of films. The blurb for the film says the following:
“A pulsing thriller about bad romance in London today. In a world obsessed with dating apps and real estate, a generation is trying to make a connection and find their corner of the capital while the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to grow. Daniel has kept the keys to every place he ever lived. Lena wants to use them – on the ultimate property porn tour of London, a lost weekend of getting to know each other intimately in other people’s homes. But as Lena unlocks her lover’s past, what began as a risky fantasy becomes a deadly threat.”
The character of Lena is portrayed by Emma McDonald who does a great job at making Lena feel like a real person. Her co-star for the film is Billy Postlethwaite who is playing the mysterious Daniel. The two characters meet when they are sitting at different tables in a restaurant and realise that they have both been stood up by the dates they had arranged via online dating apps. The two decide to make the most of the evening and join each other for a conversation.
It is evident from early on that Lena is a woman who goes for what she wants and is unashamed as she goes through the world, while Daniel is rather more of a reserved man. In a moment of questionable character motivation Lena decides to follow Daniel back to his apartment and convinces him to let her in as she does not want to wait for a future date. Ultimately, it is this impulsive act by Lena that sets the rest of the film in motion, and at times it feels like you are witnessing a car crash but are powerless to stop it.
7 Keys is a film that has a very interesting concept, but a strong concept does not necessarily make a strong film, and ultimately this to me is a film which does not quite live up to its full potential. Emma McDonald and Billy Postlethwaite have fantastic chemistry as Lena and Daniel which is a strong positive for this film, and that helps to create some incredibly steamy sex scenes, one in particular which is now seared into my brain. However, their strong chemistry and the great character moments in the earlier half of the film are not enough to fully redeem the film for me.
This stands out to me as a film which needed another visit to the editing room with a tighter script. The first 60 or so minutes of this film are fantastic and had me fully glued to the screen, though it was let down by the final 25/30 minutes which was evident that the concept was what the filmmakers started with, before knowing what the ending would be. The very rushed final act lowed the overall quality of the film for me and in particular there was one very specific moment which involves some arguably problematic stereotyping of the Queer community that left a sour taste in my mouth.
I would still recommend that people seek out this film to make up their own minds, but also to enjoy the first 60 or so minutes of this film which I genuinely believe are incredibly strong, it is up to you to decide whether to continue and finish the film, or turn it off when it is still keeping your attention.
✦✦✧✧✧