Brut Force (2022) is a female-created intense neo-noir thriller that delves into gender, race, and inequality, the kind of movie that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats and guessing until its final, powerful moments.
In the movie, Newly-fired reporter Sloane Sawyer hears that someone has been harassing vineyard workers in her hometown, so she starts investigating. When haunting beauty Dulce goes missing and the alluring Tico Reyes shows up looking for her, Sloane is drawn down a twisting trail of violence and crime, determined to help those she’s come to care about in this town before it’s too late.
This is the debut feature film of writer, producer, and director Eve Symington after producing and directing a few fiction and documentary short films.
The main cast for Brut Force (2022) is formed by Lelia Symington, Vico Escorcia, Tyler Posey, Tate Hanyok, Chase Mullins, Stelio Savante, Julian Silva, Goya Robles, Erik Odom, Sheila Korsi, Rick Kleber, and the participation of Patricia Velasquez, known for her appearances in The Curse of La Llorona (2019), The Mummy (1999), and The Mummy Returns (2001).
In the words of the director Eve Symington, “beneath the surface of California’s ‘wine country’ bubble complex histories, racism, class struggles, and moral grey areas, all of which makes this world ripe for a modern noir story. Noir films show society’s dualism, often exposing the underbelly of society’s shiny façade. The lead character in Brut Force (2022) is a young woman who lives between the two worlds, fluent in both Spanish and ‘wine lingo’: a modern, female take on a classic noir detective. I have a long and abiding love for noir films, both classics and reinventions of the genre, from Double Indemnity (1944) to Chinatown (1974). I directed the film in a very specific, noir-inspired style. This includes a sense of heightened realism, leaning into noir techniques like deliberate indoor lighting, artistically constructed frames, creative blocking, and slightly stylized dialogue”.
She continues, “together with my Director of Photography Emilie Silvestri, we crafted a sun-soaked world, both beautiful and ominous, and made great use of our gorgeous locations. As a cinephile with a strong interest in social equity, I wanted to make Brut Force (2022) to bring these two passions together. I have been directing short films since I was eleven years old, so it is truly a dream come true to bring my first feature into the world“.
Brut Force (2022) is out on digital on April 21, 2022, by XYZ Films. Watch its official trailer here.
Related posts:
The COVID-19 pandemic and a violent crime hold hands in Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Kimi” 
“Time Now”: A young woman returns to her hometown and nothing is what it seems 
Serbian crime flick “South Wind” could be one of the thrillers of the year 
A young woman returns to her hometown which is riddled with witchcraft in “Witches of Blackwood”