Suki Waterhouse gives a soul slicing performance as a drifter who gets off a bus in a little Jersey town in this beautifully made 2017 tragicomedy. Her character, the Girl (we never learn her name), is comfortable sleeping on park benches and partying with dangerous low-lifes. Her beauty and charm enable her to manipulate lonely men like bar owner Victor, movingly played by Dash Mihok. She targets Victor as a mark, but Waterhouse and writer-director Tom Sierchio are able to communicate the genuine affection she has for this wounded, profoundly vulnerable man, even while she uses him. The most impressive aspect of Waterhouse's creation is her portrayal of the Girl's completely unjustified confidence that she can survive her dangerous life choices. Proud of her unorthodox behavior, unafraid of confrontation, the Girl seems bent on living by her own simple, brazen philosophy. During their first conversation, after she and Victor admit to their mutual weirdness, she says, "Don't let anybody tell you that's a bad thing. It's a good thing. Only the mediocre are always at their best and I can tell already that ain't us." In real life, when we see any young person strolling so casually on the edge of the abyss, we worry. If it's someone we know well, we worry a lot. If it's a beautiful women, we are desperately afraid for her because we understand the malevolent attention she could attract. Waterhouse makes us feel that danger almost immediately, even while we're finding her maddeningly attractive. I don't know what the future will bring for this unjustly ignored film. I wouldn't be surprised if, in a few years, Criterion picks it up. The good news is that you can stream it right now and spend some quality time with the girl who Invented kissing.
Review of The Girl Who Invented Kissing
