Wally (Lesley Smith) is inundated with stories from queer and straight friends of abuse of women by men that goes unpunished. Wally is a part time poet and full-time furniture manual writer. Her rage swells to the point it is time to attack men to achieve “poetic justice”. She is officially an angry lesbian.
And attack she does in a rampage bashing, staple gunning, bowling ball attacks and good old smacking in the face and head. There is no apparent reason for her misandry except perhaps for that date drug rape and threat to post pictures of her naked body on social media.
Early in the film she meets Lou (Kathleen Dorian) the bisexual woman who initially is Wally wary due to the quiet rage in her poetry. But the allure of the flesh momentarily stifles Lou’s instincts and in “Fatal Attraction” manner it is romping in the sack with Lou. But for a moment the romp augments transforming Lou into an accomplice.
The extent of Wally rage swells to gun toting thrilling Lou becoming turned on by the violence for a time. Wally’s friends and the female community laud the bad man bashing. In fact, Wally remarks there are recruits lining up to join her crusade. As her physical violence increases her poetry becomes increasingly aggressive seething with rage.
Lou breaks with Wally and the latter’s violence turns supreme. Wally as a nonfatal “Dexter”?
At one point, particularly with the ending of the film, one must seriously question if her coterie of friends condone the violence. And her victims are selected based on hearsay and not judicially established fact.
“Compulsus” is innovative, compelling, thought provoking and largely offensive and repugnant. Rest assured Wally World is a dark and dangerous place you really must visit. Smith and Dorian make your trip worth it.
This Canadian film is directed and written by Tara Thorne.
Theatrical release in Canada will be 11October2024. RKS 2024 Film Rating 92/100.
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