Director: Jeff Stanzler
Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Abdellatif Kechiche, Elodie Bouchez, Assif Mandavi, Sandra Oh

- Reviewed by Vickie

To say this was the most bizarre and freaky movie I saw at TIFF 2005 would be an understatement. It is, at the very least, a wildly manic ride that may upset, offend, amuse and/or shock you.

Robin Wright Penn stars as Phoebe, a New York City woman who is, it becomes instantly clear, totally bat-shit crazy. Insane. Off her rocker. Unbalanced. She takes a cab one night and slowly involves its unsuspecting Arab driver, Ashade (Abdellatif Kechiche), in the twisted reality of her life, intertwining her problems with his in increasingly dramatic and frightening ways. She’s tormented over the life she’s always dreamed of being lived by another woman (Sandra Oh), and he’s struggling to help his brother, who’s been wrongfully deported to Syria by the American government. Together, the duo embark on a frenetic series of days and nights, fraught with high tension, revenge, anger, psychosis and violence, all leading to a climax that left the audience slack-jawed and stunned.

I honestly had no idea what to make of this movie as I watched it – it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Very raw and gritty, shot on DV and laced with a sense of foreboding and rage. And yet, it’s become one of those films that’s grown on me the further I am from it. I initially viewed Penn’s character as completely unlikable and unsympathetic, bordering on hateful, but after digesting the story for a while I’ve come to see her as very sad and extremely desperate. Not to mention indescribably unique. Kudos to Penn for embracing the character so completely, warts and all. And Kechiche provides a sound counterbalance, remaining a calm but not passive victim to Phoebe’s radical tactics.

At the Q&A after the film, its director, Jeff Stanzler, explained that he’s been having a hard time getting Sorry, Haters into festivals, let alone landing distribution. And it’s easy to see why. But if you give yourself over to its crazy-ass story and even crazier central character, you may just discover its psychologically thrilling merit. Like Phoebe, it’s undeniably mad but certainly unforgettable.

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