Kristen Stewart’s mother makes her directorial debut with lurid, manipulative prison drama
K-11 (Jules Stewart, 2013)
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
March 15-21
212-924-3363
www.cinemavillage.com
www.k11themovie.com
Longtime Hollywood script supervisor Jules Stewart makes her directorial debut with the lurid, manipulative prison drama K-11. Goran Visnjic stars as Raymond Saxx Jr., a confused man who suddenly finds himself behind bars, in a crazy cellblock filled with men gallivanting as women, led by Mousey (Kate del Castillo), as well as the big, dangerous Detroit (low-budget legend Tommy “Tiny” Lister). Ray is befriended by the gentle, innocent Butterfly (Portia Doubleday), while dirty prison guard Lt. Gerald Johnson (D. B. Sweeney) threatens to have his way with Saxx, who does not know why he has been incarcerated at first and then pleads his innocence when the details of his arrest become known. K-11 is a mess from the very start, with odd slow motion and a frustrating narrative that purposely holds back information in ridiculous ways. There is also a whole lot of crying, in addition to rape, violence, and genre clichés galore. The film also loses any hope of credibility by casting numerous women as men who dress and identify as women, causing unnecessary confusion and losing the trust of the audience. The filmmakers had aspirations that K-11 would be some kind of adult, prison-set Alice in Wonderland. It’s not. And yes, that voice on the phone speaking to Ray is Kristen Stewart, Jules’s daughter.