Jumbled Editing Spoils Femme Revenge

A sexually assaulted waitress joins a group of female vigilantes that target violent and chauvinistic men. Asking For It is an ultra-stylized take on the effects of toxic masculinity. Sexual predators get their comeuppance from bad-ass women who are out for blood. The film’s themes are laudable. But the plot’s execution feels like a TikTok video on meth. A non-stop barrage of quick-cut edits, still frames, jumbled imagery and a pounding soundtrack become bewildering. The filmmakers needed to focus more on substance than gimmicks.

Asking For It begins with a repulsive alt-right intro from Mark Vanderhill (Ezra Miller). He leads the growing Men’s First Movement (MFM). A male dominance ideology that views women as prey to be hunted. Machine gun in hand, he blasts effeminate liberals and social justice advocates for not recognizing the greatness of white men. His legion of followers glorifies MFM on social media with fawning praise and allegiance.

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Kiersey Clemons stars as Joey, a college student working as a waitress in a small town. She’s invited to a party by Mike (Casey Cott). Joey groggily wakes up the next morning in her bedroom. She remembers drinking with Mike and his offer to walk her home. A distraught Joey spirals into depression. Her fraught emotional state is noticed by Regina (Alexandra Shipp), a regular at the diner.

Regina invites Joey to a party at a remote barn. She’s introduced to several of the Cherry Bombs, Beatrice (Vanessa Hudgens), the scarred Lily (Leslie Stratton), and their leader, Sal (Radha Mitchell). Each of these women were victims who decided to fight back. The gang sets their sights on Mark Vanderhill and a sex-trafficking corrupt sheriff (David Patrick Kelly).

Asking For It Pulls No Punches

Asking For It pulls no punches in its portrayal of the MFM movement. These hate groups proliferate online. Mark Vanderhill, and all of his hideous rhetoric, is not an extreme exaggeration. He represents a backlash that often leads to violent outcomes. To be fair, the film doesn’t paint all men with the same brush. They are feminists not men haters. The Cherry Bombs have male allies in their war. I just wish the characters were better written.

Director/writer Eamon O’Rourke runs the gamut of visual trickery in his feature debut. No scene is straightforward. There are constant cuts to photos, bizarre animation, animal montages, etc. A few are clever, such as Joey dealing with her rape’s aftermath. But the editing overload gets old fast. The stylistic approach has artistic merit to a point. Then devolves into an image stew of confusion.

I couldn’t help but compare Asking For It with Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. That film tackled the same subject brilliantly and with a deft touch. Eamon O’Rourke would have served his script better with editing moderation. His characters are intriguing. Lily, a burn attack survivor, deserved more screen time. This cowardly and hateful crime against women is rampant globally. Asking For It spotlights the cesspool of rape culture. That’s worthwhile even in a spastic film.

Asking For It is a production of Redwire Pictures, Tunnel Post, and Beer Money Worldwide. It will have a VOD and limited theatrical release from Saban Films on March 4th.

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Julian Roman
(1470 Articles Published)

Julian Roman has been with Movieweb for nearly twenty years. An avid film buff, he feels lucky to have interviewed and written extensively about Hollywood’s greatest talents. In his spare time he plays guitar, treasures good company, and always seeks new adventures.

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