I also saw Keeper last night.
Having seen Maslany on broadway (Grey House), i'm always amazed by how great she is in everything she's in; Even more surprised that she's not in more! Red flags abound at the jump, you could tell something was up about this relationship and not a lot is being TOLD and even less is being SHOWN so you're left to put pieces together on your own; Like Cwool said,
it's not perfect but you get the gist. As to what 'gaps' or 'missing puzzle pieces' fit where and how you come to terms about what you DO know and what you DO see happen, there are some things that are entirely up to you to assume and that can leave you in a weird place even AFTER you know what's going on....
If he was a part of it (sacrificing Minka), why did they kill him? The ONLY assumption i could make was that they were trying to protect Liz from him - similar to how they help her with getting Malcolm in the end. I've come to this conclusion because he shows up to the house looking for Malcolm AFTER Minka is killed, "looking to celebrate" and instead finds Liz - surprised - when Malcolm clearly left so he doesn't have to be there to see her get killed. I think he grabs the knife to "do the dirty work himself" when she goes to use the bathroom, but they get him and try to hide the evidence. This is the ONLY gap i'm actually confused about in the movie because it gives up the ghost a little bit that A. Malcolm and his "cousin" (brother?) are involved in some shenanigans and B. the "creatures" are looking after Liz -- both things that spoil the ending like WAY FAR in advance. This is substantiated only by Malcolm's immediate shock and surprise at seeing Liz still ALIVE when he gets home - clearly confused. When she mentions the "cousin" stopping by, it is shaken off and NEVER brought up again as NO ONE in the narrative is around to witness it - WEIRD.
I know. This is Perkins we're talking about, this isn't any of our first rodeos with him. In my opinion, the only GREAT movie i think he's made is Monkey, which arguably only wins me over for its sense of humor and levity. I generally think the rest of his movies are overlong and need a better(separate) hand at editing. I think Pretty Things (
predictable AND boring, what a duo) and Longlegs (
not everything could or should be vaguely described with the "because satan"-umbrella as much as i think he thinks it could or should) are the more frustrating of his works and absolutely guilty of needing a "second draft" or someone else to come in and guide it through the editing room. However, i think Blackcoat's(
the "because satan"-umbrella works much better here) and Gretel(
this one struck me as very "art for art's sake") are much better and not nearly as frustrating to watch. With his track record being very literally HOT & COLD for me, this is VERY middle of the road. It's a much more SIMPLE movie (like Gretel) and it doesn't take
too many wild leaps in character or narrative logic (like Longlegs).
I ultimately found myself liking more than i disliked and genuinely enjoying the reveal and last act - solidifying my grade at 7/10. The point that took me from 6 to 7 was ONLY because the music choice and motifs for said music choices were SOOOO on point.
The third act goes off the rails a bit and not everything makes perfect sense or is completely satisfying by the end.
I was wholly satisfied but that might be because i have a much better understanding of
"the fae" (once i saw the HONEY it clicked)
than i imagine most people in a general audience would. I saw 3 or 4 people get up and leave when we got to the basement "reveal" when Liz wakes up and i really couldn't blame them. I think it really,
truly, only gets better from there; But i get it. This is definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and i admire that about Perkins because that's how
a lot of his stuff is. I can't help but feel like it's a good time to be a weirdo thanks to people like him. lol