Fascination – DVD

A thriller riddled with paranoia and distrust, Klaus Menzel's FASCINATION is an acute study of a man stretched to breaking point by an egregious set of circumstances. Scott Doherty (Adam Garcia) is both stricken and confused when his mother, Maureen (Jacqueline Bisset), announces the tragic death of his father, who drowned during a curious boating mishap while the couple was on vacation. The incident seems highly irregular to Scott due to his father's considerable athletic prowess. But Scott's eyebrows are raised even further when his mother returns from the trip with a new beau on her arm in the shape of the dashing Oliver Vance (Stuart Wilson). As the newly entwined couple make astonishingly speedy wedding plans, Scott looks on in horror, although this is tempered somewhat by the eye-catching presence of Oliver's shapely daughter, Kelly (Alice Evans). Equally suspicious of the impending nuptials, Kelly joins Scott in an investigation into the foggy circumstances surrounding his father's demise. While acting on the supposition that Scott's deceased parent may have been murdered to allow his mother's new relationship to flourish, Kelly falls for Scott, and they embark on a passionate relationship together. But as Scott digs deeper, suspicions plague him, and his waning trust in Kelly disintegrates into a deep suspicion of who she is and what she wants from him. Stylistically tilting towards the dusky shadows of classic film noir, FASCINATION plays an exquisite guessing game with its viewers, who should take nothing for granted in this inventive and stimulating movie.