The Moth Diaries

Mary Harron is an interesting but problematic director. I've seen all four of her films: I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page, and now The Moth Diaries. Of these, only American Psycho did I despise; the others have approached being great movies but ultimately fall short.

The Moth Diaries, based on a novel of the same name, is set in a girls' boarding school. Rebecca (Sarah Bolger), is sixteen and is just starting to be happy again after dealing with her father's suicide. She's very close to her roommate Lucy (Sarah Gadon). But when a new student, the eerie Ernessa (Lily Cole) arrives, Bolger's life turns upside down.

The film has heavy Gothic overtones, and there is an element of the supernatural, but we're not quite sure what. Is Cole a ghost? A vampire? There's clues that she is both. To reinforce this, we get scenes in Bolger's English class, where her teacher (Scott Speedman) is teaching Dracula and Carmilla, the first real vampire tale. Certainly Cole is some kind of succubus, as she lures Gadon away from Lucy and starts to change her. Then there's the mysterious deaths that make the school look like a hazard.

Unfortunately, The Moth Diaries is more atmosphere than substance. The trope of suicide weaves in and out--Cole tells Bolger that the moment of death is ecstatic, which should have been countered with a "how do you know?" Bolger raises her suspicions to others, who doubt her sanity (she sees Cole walking through glass). But this comes across more like a "It Gets Better" ad than a serious work of cinema.

Still, The Moth Diaries is not boring (it's only 84 minutes long) and is creepy enough to warrant attention from fans of the genre. I just wish it had more oomph to it. I will add that Cole, who is a model, is perfectly suited for the part. She's one of the strangest looking yet beautiful women in film today. Any director would be intrigued by her face.

My grade for The Moth Diaries: C+.