Pet (film)

Last updated

Pet
Pet the movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Carles Torrens
Written by Jeremy Slater
Produced by
  • Nick Phillips
  • Carles Torrens
  • Kelly Wagner
Starring
CinematographyTimothy A. Burton
Edited byElena Ruiz
Music by Zacarías M. de la Riva
Production
companies
  • Revolver Picture Co.
  • Magic Lantern
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 11, 2016 (2016-03-11)(SXSW)
  • December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)(United States)
  • June 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)(Spain)
Running time
94 minutes [2]
Countries
  • United States
  • Spain
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,900 [3]

Pet is a 2016 psychological thriller film directed by Carles Torrens, written by Jeremy Slater, and starring Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette McCurdy, and Nathan Parsons. [4] [5] [6] The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2016 [7] [8] and was released to theaters on December 2, 2016 by Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Contents

Plot

Seth is a severely introverted man who works at an animal control center. He has developed an obsession with Holly, a waitress and former high school classmate of his, after he saw her writing in her journal on the bus. Seth seeks advice from security guard Nate, who tells him to be confident and approach her. Seth extensively researches Holly's online profiles and tries to ask her out, but she rebuffs him. At home, Holly tells her friend Claire about Seth, and takes a drunken phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Eric.

Holly receives a bouquet at work the next day, and, assuming they are from Eric, goes to the bar where he works. Seth, who has been following her, confronts her, leading to a physical confrontation when he refuses to accept her rejection. Eric attacks Seth, but Seth is able to steal Holly's journal, which he spends the next several days reading. At work, Seth discovers a trapdoor to a room in an abandoned wing of the animal shelter, where he sets about constructing a steel cage. He follows Holly home, breaks into her apartment, and kidnaps her.

After awakening in the cage, Holly vows to survive, speaking to an image of Claire. Seth informs Holly that he loves her and has imprisoned her to "save" her. Through reading Holly's journal, Seth has learned that Eric slept with Claire, who Holly confronted during a car ride they were taking. In her anger, Holly continued accelerating the car until they were hit by a truck. Although injured, Claire had survived, but Holly fatally stabbed her with a glass shard; Claire's death was attributed to the crash. Since then, Holly has committed a series of gruesome murders and written about them in her journal, leading to Seth finding a "purpose" in life by preventing Holly from hurting anyone else.

Over the next several days, they engage in psychological mind games against each other as Holly begins to slip details to draw Seth in. Seth maintains that Holly committed the other murders out of guilt for not being caught over Claire, but Holly counters that she kills simply for pleasure. A suspicious Nate follows Seth and discovers Holly. She deliberately distracts Nate so that Seth has time to overpower him. At Holly's urging, he smashes Nate's skull with a cinder block, then follows her instructions to dispose of the body.

The police become suspicious of Seth's role in Nate's disappearance. Holly convinces him that he can save her if he proves his love to her by cutting off his finger. He does, but this leads to Holly grabbing his knife and threatening to kill herself if he doesn't release her. She says she finally believes that he loves her before slitting his throat.

Some time later, Holly is back together with Eric, and the "fictional" events from her journal are being published by a vanity press. Holly finds evidence that Eric has been cheating again, but declines to hurt him. Instead, she travels to a warehouse, where it is revealed that Seth is being kept in a cage, still alive but horribly mutilated and tortured; she thanks him for "saving" her by allowing her to take out all of her murderous impulses on him instead.

Cast

Production

Slater sold the script for the film in March 2007. [9]

It was announced in August 2015 that filming had begun with actors Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette McCurdy, and Nathan Parsons. [4] [5] [6]

Release

The film premiered at the March 2016 South by Southwest Film festival. [7] [8] [10]

Pet was released to nine theatres on December 2, 2016 with total gross of $8,004. [11] [12] It was set for a June 16, 2017 theatrical opening in Spain. [13]

Reception

Reviews for Pet have been mixed, with critics alternatively praising the subversive themes and strong leading performances, or lamenting the implausible twists. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 56% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.16/10. [14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [15] Reviews that have criticized the twists include Screen Anarchy , which wrote "Without spoiling anything more, the twists push past the merely unlikely into a strange minefield of 'what in the world?'", [16] and RogerEbert.com, which noted "The rank, idiotic implausibilities continue to mount..." [17]

The Hollywood Reporter gave the bottom line of "This graphically violent horror thriller features too many plot twists for its own good", but the review has also words of praise for the direction and cast: "Still, the film is engrossing, thanks to the director’s skill at delivering sustained tension, and the excellent performances." [18]

An entirely positive review came from The A.V. Club's Alex McCown, who stated: "Part of the wicked fun of Pet, a dark little exercise in sadism and black humor, is how it upends the traditional conventions of the 'wronged woman turns the tables on her abuser' narrative. (...) The films zigs where you expect a depraved zag, resulting in a smart and unsettling tale." [19]

Another overall positive review has been given by Katie Walsh of Los Angeles Times , who wrote: "The constant power flipping allows for some interesting explorations of both the misogyny and misandry demonstrated by the main characters, and the way they justify their actions through the philosophical lens of love and sacrifice. 'Pet' is a modern-day fable of unchecked desire that descends quickly into a bloody, morbid cautionary tale." [20]

Francisco Marinero of El Mundo rated Pet 2 out 5 stars, writing that the film, which as usual in American independent pictures stars a "nondescript guy sadly alone in domestic routines", "is conceived as a function of the bombshells in its writing and characters", favouring gruesomeness over suspense. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Monaghan</span> British actor (born 1976)

Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is a British-Irish actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on the ABC television drama Lost (2004–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennette McCurdy</span> American filmmaker and former actress (born 1992)

Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy is an American writer, filmmaker, former actress, and singer. McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) earned her four Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She reprised the character in the iCarly spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014) before leaving Nickelodeon. McCurdy also appeared in the television series Malcolm in the Middle (2003–2005), Zoey 101 (2005), Lincoln Heights (2007), True Jackson, VP (2009–2010), and Victorious (2012). She produced, wrote, and starred in her own webseries, What's Next for Sarah? (2014), and led the science-fiction series Between (2015–2016).

<i>iCarly</i> American teen sitcom (2007–2012)

iCarly is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay, a teenager who creates and hosts her own web show called iCarly with her best friends, Sam and Freddie in the apartment loft that she and her older brother, Spencer live in. As the web show quickly becomes an internet phenomenon, the characters are tasked with balancing their normal teenage lives with the wacky situations their newfound fame lands them in. By the fourth season, their school friend, Gibby also works with them on the web show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Shively</span> American actor (born 1990)

Matthew James Shively Jr. is an American actor best known for his role as Ryan Laserbeam on the Nickelodeon television series True Jackson, VP. Beginning in June 2011, he began appearing on two more Nickelodeon shows: Winx Club as Sky and The Troop as Kirby. He co-starred in the ABC television program The Real O'Neals which debuted on March 8, 2016.

<i>Season of the Witch</i> (2011 film) 2011 American film

Season of the Witch is a 2011 American supernatural action-adventure film directed by Dominic Sena, written by Bragi Schut, and starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. Cage and Perlman star as Teutonic Knights who return from the Crusades to find their homeland devastated by the Black Death. Two church elders accuse a young woman of being a witch responsible for the plague. They command the two knights to transport her to a distant monastery so the monks can lift her curse. The film reunited Sena and Cage, who had previously worked together on Gone in 60 Seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Martin (American musician)</span> American jazz musician

Andy Martin is an American jazz trombonist and Los Angeles studio player. Andy has recorded 12 albums as a leader or co-leader highlighted by the widely acclaimed record with the Metropole Orchestra. He is a member of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and was the featured soloist with Bill Holman big band for 15 years and is a member of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra led by Chris Walden. Plus he's been in Tom Kubis' big band since its inception. Andy has recorded and toured with many incredible artists like Poncho Sanchez, Arturo Sandoval, Quincy Jones, Michael Buble, John Legend, David Foster, Earth Wind and Fire, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Cold Play, Metallica, Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson, Josh Groban, The Who, to name just a few...

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not That Far Away</span> 2010 single by Jennette McCurdy

"Not That Far Away" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Jennette McCurdy from her debut EP of the same name. Written by McCurdy, Blair Daly and Rachel Proctor, it was released to country radio on May 24, 2010, and as a music download on June 1, 2010.

<i>iParty with Victorious</i> 2011 television movie on Nickelodeon

iParty with Victorious is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series iCarly and Victorious. It premiered on Nickelodeon on June 11, 2011.

<i>iCarly</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of iCarly began airing on Nickelodeon on August 13, 2011, and finished its run on January 21, 2012.

<i>Jennette McCurdy</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy is the only studio album by American singer, writer and former actress Jennette McCurdy, released on June 5, 2012, by Capitol Records Nashville. McCurdy was 19 years old at the time of the release and co-wrote six of the ten songs on the album. The majority of the album was produced by Paul Worley, who also produced her debut extended play, Not That Far Away (2010), while Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts produced the album's first two tracks. One single was released from the album, "Generation Love", which charted for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 44.

Sam & Cat is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from June 8, 2013, to July 17, 2014. It is a spin-off of iCarly and Victorious, two TV shows that Schneider also created. The series stars Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett from iCarly, and Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine from Victorious. The girls meet by chance during a bizarre adventure and become roommates, then start a babysitting business to earn extra money.

<i>Swindle</i> (2013 film) TV film by Jonathan Judge

Swindle is a 2013 television film starring Noah Crawford, Chris O'Neal, Jennette McCurdy, Noah Munck, Ariana Grande, Ciara Bravo, and Fred Ewanuick. Based on Gordon Korman's novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Griffin, a boy who retrieves his friend's valuable baseball card from an unscrupulous collectibles dealer with the help of his friends. Sneak peeks promoting the film aired on Nickelodeon during three Sam & Cat episodes and the final episode of Big Time Rush. The film premiered August 24, 2013 to an audience of over 4.2 million viewers. The film was released on DVD on March 19, 2014, and on Blu-ray on December 4, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Hoeks</span> Dutch actress (born 1983)

Sylvia Hoeks is a Dutch actress and former model, best known internationally for her roles in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018).

Between is a Canadian science fiction drama television series which debuted on Citytv on May 21, 2015. Created by Michael McGowan, the series stars Jennette McCurdy as Wiley Day, a pregnant teenage daughter of a minister living in the small town of Pretty Lake, which is coping with a mysterious disease that has killed everybody over the age of 21.

Carles Torrens is a Spanish film and television director, screenwriter, editor, and producer, known for his award-winning short films and his 2011 feature film debut Apartment 143 (Emergo).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Voo</span> Malaysian film actor (born 1986)

Adrian Voo is a Malaysian film actor. He came to prominence with supporting roles in the comedy films Amateur Night and Dear Dictator.

Bruce Bouton is an American guitarist, session musician, producer, and songwriter. His pedal steel guitar has been featured on many country music recordings, and he helped reintroduce the pedal steel guitar to the forefront of the Nashville sound. Bouton is also a member of The G-Men, the group of session musicians who has played on the vast majority of Garth Brooks albums.

<i>Last Looks</i> 2022 American-British mystery film

Last Looks is a 2022 American-British mystery film, directed by Tim Kirkby, from a screenplay by Howard Michael Gould based on his novel of the same name. It stars Charlie Hunnam, Mel Gibson, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Rupert Friend, Dominic Monaghan, Jacob Scipio and Clancy Brown.

<i>A Midsummers Nightmare</i> (film) 2017 American thriller film

A Midsummer's Nightmare is a 2017 American psychological thriller television film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Anthony Jaswinski. It is a modern adaptation of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. It aired on Lifetime on July 31, 2017.

<i>Im Glad My Mom Died</i> 2022 memoir by Jennette McCurdy

I'm Glad My Mom Died is a 2022 memoir by American writer, director and former actress Jennette McCurdy based on her one-woman show of the same name. The book is about her career as a child actress and her difficult relationship with her abusive mother who died in 2013. It is McCurdy's first book and was published on August 9, 2022, by Simon & Schuster.

References

  1. ↑ "Film #71321: Pet". Lumiere . Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Pet (18)". British Board of Film Classification . September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Pet (2016) - Financial Information".
  4. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (August 11, 2015). "Jennette McCurdy to Co-Star in Indie 'Pet'". Variety . Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Kit, Borys (August 10, 2015). "Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo to Star in Indie Thriller 'Pet'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Wanchope (August 18, 2015). "Comienza el rodaje de 'Pet', lo nuevo de Carles Torrens" (in Spanish). El Séptimo Arte. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Gettell, Oliver (February 9, 2016). "SXSW 2016 Midnighters include Hush, Pet, remastered Phantasm". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Olsen, Mark (February 9, 2016). "South By Southwest film fest announces midnight titles and more". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ Rochat, Scott. "Starring Jeremy Slater". The Emporia Gazette. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  10. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (February 9, 2016). "SXSW Midnighters includes 'Hush', 'Carnage Park'". Screen Daily . Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  11. ↑ Hime, Nelly (November 7, 2016). "PET 2016 TRAILER SHOWS UNIQUE SPIN ON CLAUSTROPHOBIC THRILLER + RELEASE". NagameDigital. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  12. ↑ "2016 DOMESTIC GROSSES". Box Office Mojo.
  13. ↑ Martínez Mantilla, Daniel (May 12, 2017). "10 películas de terror para chillar este verano". Vanity Fair .
  14. ↑ "Pet (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Pet Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  16. ↑ Martin, Peter (December 1, 2016). "Review: PET, A Man, A Woman, and a Cage". Screen Anarchy . Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  17. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (December 2, 2016). "Pet". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  18. ↑ Scheck, Frank (December 6, 2016). "'Pet': Film Review" . Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ McCown, Alex (December 1, 2016). "The best movies of 2016 that we didn't review". The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  20. ↑ Walsh, Katie (December 1, 2016). "Boldly creepy 'Pet' tweaks captive-captor conventions". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  21. ↑ Marinero, Francisco (June 15, 2017). "'Animal de compañía': en el sótano". Metrópoli– via El Mundo.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.