There are a handful of film releases this season, and with most movie theaters still closed, some of them opted to bypass a theatrical release and headed straight to video-on-demand service platforms.
One of the latest movies that came out with rave reviews is American High’s Looks That Kill, a dark comedy written and directed by Kellen Moore. The film stars Brandon Flynn, best known for playing the role of Justin Foley from the hit Netflix teen drama, 13 Reasons Why.
As soon as it landed on Gravitas Ventures and Amazon over the weekend, we gathered the entire Stylish Magazine crew to watch, and based on what we’ve seen so far, we came up with five reasons—without giving away too much—why this film should be on everyone’s binge list.
Not your typical coming of age Rom-Com
The plot centers on Max Richards (Flynn), a teenage boy born with a strange medical condition of being “lethally attractive,” who accidentally meets Alex (played by The Affair’s Julia Goldani Telles), a girl with her own bizarre ailment, who aids him on his journey to self-discovery—without accidentally killing someone, of course!
The way it was cleverly written by Kellen Moore is that it begins as a dark comedy with Max growing up isolated by the fear his bandages cause and bullied by those who don’t believe in his deadly charms. As the story unfolds, it evolves into a romantic fable that veers off into several territories—teen angst, romantic rejection, equally weird parents, visits to the shrink, a bad blind date, and euthanasia. All of these add to a general sense of whimsy. It’s definitely going to give the audience a mood whiplash with the way how the story builds up.
Brandon Flynn is officially drop-dead gorgeous
The movie title gives you a fairly good idea about Max’s uncanny ability that anyone who gets a glimpse of his attractive visage dies in a matter of seconds. The only ones who are unaffected by his killer looks are his parents, which is further explained at the end of the movie.
By the time Max is a young adult, his extremely handsome face requires him to cover his entire face with bandages and black sunglasses at all times—which leaves him looking like the 1993 version of The Invisible Man.
In real life, Brandon Flynn is breathtakingly beautiful similar to the character he portrays in the movie, with superb acting chops to match. The 26-year-old actor quickly shot to social media superstardom following the success of his Netflix show, with millions of devoted followers ready to support him all the way.
Last year, the rising star made headlines after posting his support on Instagram for an Australian bill that allowed for same-sex marriage. His supporters and the press were quick to assume and celebrate his “coming out” story. The only problem was, he never really came out. In one interview, Flynn was quoted saying, “I am thrilled that I get the opportunity to be a role model for any gay boy at home. However, I still struggle with the double standard the media has placed on me solely because I have dated men.” He also made a statement that he doesn’t see the need to come out nor put a label on his sexuality as he considers himself just like any other person who isn’t obliged to explain anything when it comes to gender identity.
We need Dan and Yu Shen in our lives
Dan, played by Korean-American actor Ki Hong Lee (Maze Runner movies), is Max’s supportive best friend who always pushes him to take risks when it comes to dating; telling him that the right girl will see him for who he really is despite his face all covered up.
The brotherhood between Max and Dan tells us that they’ve both gone through a lot ever since Max’s family moved to the small but unique town of Blegh, Massachusetts. The way they uplift and complement each other is one of the best examples of how real friendship looks like.
To make things extraordinarily crazy inside the Richards household, they are joined by foreign exchange student Yu Shen, played by up and coming actress Monique Kim. With Dan’s hyperactive dating life juxtaposed Yu Shen’s incredibly unapologetic personality, and her inability to seemingly connect with the people around her will offset all the slow parts of the movie—that’s how adorably hilarious these two combined.
Yu Shen’s almost poignant comedic timing and intrusion in every dramatic scene that she isn’t supposed to be in were some of the highlights to look forward to.
© 2020 American High
The on-screen chemistry is almost too real
Looks That Kill’s romantic flair is like any typical boy meets girl and falling in love against all odds type of story. But what Max and Alex had in particular was special because it didn’t really blossom into something extremely serious, but somehow it allowed the characters to develop a real connection and a chance for both of them to come out of their respective isolation and fear.
Alex’s own health condition prohibits her from all sorts of activities that will excite her, or in other words, will spike her endorphins, causing her heart to grow abnormally. This is why meeting Max was a bad idea, to begin with. But finding someone at a turning point in your life when all hope seems lost, and being able to finally realize your true worth beyond what the society is otherwise telling you, is the real gem of this movie.
Brandon Flynn
© 2020 American High
The original soundtrack is everything
A good set of tracks in a film really makes a big difference. It sets the mood and evokes a plethora of emotions, allowing the audience to truly connect with the story and its characters. Throughout the movie, we felt excitement, joy, and sadness especially on some parts where they leveled them with background music.
In the movie, Alex told Max that she often wonders what song would be used in the montage if her life were in a movie. She said that at some point, we will realize that the only thing that matters is who you spend it with, and when you find that person at that exact moment in your life, everything plays out like a blur and all you hear is that song.
Here’s the original soundtrack from Looks That Kill, performed by Julien Baker, which kind of sealed the deal for us to say that this is the film to watch this 2020.