Mónica Negrón-Valentín

When it was announced, I found it weird that a movie wanted to tackle this case all these years later, even in a fictionalized way. I thought it will be another movie trying to justify what Mary Kay Latorneau did to Vili Fualaau. To my surprise, I feel the film is trying to fix our gaze on the victim, Joe- Vili's proxy-. I liked the way it was filmed, in this gauzy lens and scoring reminiscing of 70's movies to give kind of a dreamy haze to such a sordid situation. Just like the media did when MK and Vili married. And then, there is Charles Melton, an actor I just knew by name as I'm not the Riverdale demographic. His portrayal of Joe is nuanced but so poignant, if that makes any sense. We see a man unable to process what happens to him, as his predator still controls his life, and later is used again by another narcissistic woman. The pain is evident and we feel for him. Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman are good in this, but in my humble opinion this movie belongs to Charles Melton and I hope he gets the accolades he deserves for his performance. As for Mr. Fualaau, I hope he is at peace and have found ways to deal with what happened to him now that she is gone.