Gemini

Written and directed by Aaron Katz, Gemini follows Lola Kirke’s Jill as she attempts to unravel a mystery involving her Hollywood-starlet boss, Heather (Zoë Kravitz). There’s little doubt that Gemini fares best in its oddball yet strangely compelling opening half hour, as Katz details the easygoing antics of the two central characters as they engage in a series of small-scale activities (eg they deal with an overeager fan, they attend a wild Hollywood party, etc) – with the effectiveness of this stretch heightened by Katz’s dreamy visuals and the actors’ strong, personable work (as well as their palpable chemistry together). It’s disappointing (and not too surprising) to note, then, that the picture takes an increasingly downward turn as Jill embarks on her solo investigation, as the by-the-numbers and hopelessly routine nature of the central mystery ensures that Gemini grows less and less interesting as it progresses. By the time the entirely anticlimactic third act rolls around, the viewer has essentially checked right out of the narrative and the film has confirmed its place as a stylish yet distressingly empty cinematic experience.

** out of ****