“Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon” Is A Kooky, Crazy Supernatural Fun-House Ride [REVIEW]

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO SEE MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

Writer/Director Ana Lily Amirpour is one of those filmmakers that’s voice, vision, and vibe is so distinctly her own… that it’s impossible not to get excited about a new project from her.  Yet she returns with her third feature, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon with little to no fanfare, which is a shame.  Amirpour’s movies are certainly not for everyone, as she blends genres together in a sort of wacky Picasso-like way, and then uses the conventions of those genres to play with the audience’s expectations.  With Mona Lisa, she runs into a lot of the same narrative problems that she did with her last film The Bad Batch, but this is still an endlessly entertaining romp, nonetheless.

WHAT IS MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON ALL ABOUT?

All three of her features could make up a Trilogy, as they all share much of the same framework, yet are different in setting.  All three follow female outcasts who go on an odyssey through a twisted, alternate version of our own world and run into memorable, strange characters along the way.  In Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, we have a mental patient who escapes from an asylum and has supernatural mind-control abilities.  While on the run in New Orleans, she meets a stripper who uses her abilities to steal money from others, a drug dealer who falls in love with her, and a Detective who will stop at nothing to put her away again.  

HOW IS THE WORLD-BUILDING IN THE FILM?

As with all of Amirpour’s films, the story takes a back seat to the director’s wild imagination and world-building.  Here she has taken the backdrop of New Orleans and turned it into a city that is perpetually stuck at night, soaked in neon rays and full of seedy back alleyways and grimy establishments.  Her side characters are all over-the-top, unhinged, and trashy in one way or the other, which allows her demented lead character to somehow seem grounded, in comparison.  Amirpour then stitches together genres like spaghetti westerns, hard-boiled noir, supernatural horror, and dark comedy to create something unlike anything you’ve seen before… and something you won’t soon forget.  She pulled it off in her last two movies and she has done it again here. 

HOW IS THE CAST?

The writer/director also has a very fine eye for casting as she can assemble one hell of an ensemble.  Although Mona Lisa isn’t as star-studded as her last film The Bad Batch, which had the likes of Jason Mamoa, Jim Carrey, Suki Waterhouse, Giovanni Ribisi, and Keanu Reeves… her cast here is still extremely inspired.  Starting with Jeon Jong-seo who was utterly terrifying as Young Sook in Netflix’s underrated horror film The Call.  The actress takes everything that made Young Sook so evil in that film, then turns it all on its head for her role here.  Although Mona Lisa is frightening and unpredictable, she also has this sense of childlike wonder and warmth, as well. 

KATE HUDSON STEALS THE SHOW…

I have to say that Kate Hudson steals the show though.  Her deeply flawed and conflicted stripper Bonnie is one of the most memorable characters I have seen up on the screen in some time.  Hudson is so in control of this character and completely disappears into the role.  With this performance and her upcoming turn in Glass Onion, I hope this is the beginning of the Hudson-Renaissance that she so desperately deserves. 

IS MONA LISA STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE?

My one main issue with Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon though, is that narratively, it feels so underdeveloped.  While the world Amirpour has created seems three-dimensional, many of the side characters feel one-dimensional.  And although her ideas are ingenious and oh-so creative, leaving a feeling of anything is possible, by the end they all come off as half-baked.  If you’re looking for any sort of deeper meaning or underlying message, you will most certainly be left disappointed. 

This is definitely more of a what-you-see, is what-you-get kind of experience… and if that isn’t enough for you, then Mona Lisa will not be your thing.  As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help, but think that this felt like Part One of a much larger, expansive story.  On one hand, the fact that I yearned for more is a testament to how much I loved spending time in this world… yet, on the other hand, it left me feeling empty, knowing that this is all we are going to get.  

IS IT STILL WORTH WATCHING?

Moving forward, I hope Amirpour learns from her storytelling mistakes, as I believe she is a one-of-a-kind talent.  I think she has shown signs of growth since her last picture though.  That while The Bad Batch felt slightly hollow and messy, Mona Lisa actually wears its heart on its sleeve and is able to blend its genres far more seamlessly. If she is able to pair a developed and satisfying screenplay with her already intoxicating visual flare, Amirpour will finally have her masterpiece.  She came close with her first feature A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, so I know she has it in her.  But, until she is able to accomplish that, I am fully on board to follow this writer/director every step of the way.  There is just nothing like an Ana Lily Amirpour film, and they are truly not to be missed, with their flaws and all.

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon will be In Select Theaters & Streaming on PVOD on September 30th, 2022.

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