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"Sorority Stalker" (a.k.a., "Good Deed") is all about sisters. In the chic Dylan Keith full-service salon in Los Angeles, the female employees have a motto that goes, "Sisters before Misters." The salon is run by the dynamic Aya Stevens, who has a penchant for expressing a kindness to strangers. But that is nearly Aya's undoing when she meets young Taryn McGivens.
Taryn conveniently shows up outside the salon, and Aya takes pity on her after the young woman was stood up by her boyfriend, Steve Reicester. Aya not only buys Taryn a meal, but gives her a place to stay in her home. At first glance, the two women share the experience of belonging to the Omega Nu sorority, Aya at UCLA and Taryn at NYU. But soon, the experience will turn into a nightmare for Aya as Taryn attempts to take over her life.
Taryn was an orphan who had one nurturing relationship with her foster mother, Sarah. When Sarah died in a tragic fire, Taryn was never the same. Ironically, Taryn set the fire herself, hoping that her abusive foster father would die in the blaze. But it turned out that Sarah died while trying to rescue her husband.
In the course of the film, Taryn's proclivity to violence includes breaking the leg of the salon's receptionist, Deanna. She also kills Aya's roommate Vicky, so that she will not have to move out of the house. Steve Reicester is another victim when Taryn takes her revenge on him for getting her fired from a hotel concierge job and for dumping her.
Aya is the slowest to recognize the danger signs of her obsessive housemate. Aya's bestie and co-worker Lauren is onto Taryn right away. Vicky also knew that Taryn was a phony. It was Aya's positive outlook on life that stood in contrast to the Taryn's neurotic vision that led her into a world of fantasy.
At one point, Aya spoke about the importance of "adjusting one's outlook" to conform to the realities of a situation. It was the contrast of two philosophies that made the pairing of Aya and Taryn an intriguing drama. The true sisterhood of Omega Nu alums was that of Aya and Taryn's foster mom Sarah.
In one of the film's major revelations, Sarah wore the Omega Nu necklace that Taryn later claimed as her own. It was tragic that Taryn could not emulate the two mother figures in her life in the essential goodness that they represented.
score /10
lavatch 28 November 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6319418/ |
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24-3-2021 12:06:04