Nightmarish Conjurings reviews 'Val'
“…the film’s lead actress, Misha Reeves, keeps viewers’ attention the entire time she’s on screen, delivering a fantastic performance that — if there’s any justice in the world — will guarantee that she has plenty of starring roles in the future.
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Visually and tonally, VAL is a delight. Val’s home decor and her hair, makeup, and wardrobe make her look like a Gil Elvgren painting come to life. The bright lighting — usually splashed with some devilish reds — makes the saturated retro touches pop. It’s difficult to place VAL chronologically, which only adds to the title character’s mystique and the film’s overall charm. Rotary phones and ancient television sets coexist with references to reality shows and Vanilla Ice. Canted angles and a repeated mirror motif keep the visual interest up even when the plot drags, and the score is marvelous, perfectly threading the needle between modern and retro and between suspenseful and tongue-in-cheek.
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There’s not a weak performance to be found in the film, as each cast member fully commits to the cheeky humor, but Reeves truly steals the show. She plays Val as the ultimate throwback, a wisecracking broad worthy of Rosalind Russell and Lucille Ball. When Fin kills Val’s client, a mobbed-up man named Freddy (Erik Griffin) who is fond of crawling around on all fours while Val holds the leash attached to his dog collar, Val scolds Fin for offing her biggest paycheck: “You coulda just told him to heel!” She is hilariously unflappable, remaining in control the entire time as she manipulates the men around her, all while wearing glamorous feathered robes and maintaining her perfectly coiffed hair.
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VAL is a great idea in search of a narrative that maintains momentum all the way through, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun. The lighting and production design make it an enjoyable watch, and the score is perfectly suited for the film’s devilish humor. The real draw, though, is Misha Reeves as the titular Duchess of Hell. Her entrancing performance is hilarious, bold, and — forgive the pun — heavenly…”
