Panic Fest Film Festival Coverage
Sheryl review.
A horror comedy with teeth…and a nose, cheeks, eyeballs, hair…
Festival reviews will not contain spoilers.
Sheryl
Directed by Justin Best
Written by Justin Best
Starring Anthea Neri Best, Christopher Cendana, Chelsea Spirito, Shaan Sharma, Jade Ramirez and Alessandra Marandola
Sheryl Review
People are often looking for the best version of themselves. Sheryl asks the question…what happens if the best version of yourself is a psychotic killer? A dark comedy about the lengths someone will go to feel beautiful…even when that beauty brings ugly death to everyone around them.
When couples’ night with her boyfriend Ted (Shaan Sharma) doesn’t go to plan…Sheryl (Anthea Neri Best) finds herself at a crossroads. Dumped for “not being hot enough for her level of crazy” she becomes obsessed with beauty. The best way to change her appearance? Take the best features from other women. On piece at a time.
Couple’s night in this case involves Sheryl and Ted killing people with their friends Julie and Mike. When things get out of hand, Ted blames Sheryl and ends their relationship. It’s the inciting incident for Sheryl’s solo killing spree. She is searching for the perfect face. On the surface it’s an easy way to explain the motives of a serial killer. Looking deeper…this is the story of a woman trying to find the best version of herself. Her true face. The one that makes her feel beautiful.
Not everything in Sheryl’s life revolves around murder. She quickly finds a new suitor and begins a relationship. What she doesn’t initially know, however, is that her new beau David (Christopher Cendana) is a police detective. Worse…his assignment is to investigate a series of murders that have seen young female victims who have had parts of their face removed. Neither knows what the other one does for a living…they’re taking it casual.
Outside of a quickly dismissed moment, David doesn’t suspect Sheryl of anything. It’s a remarkably poor job detecting. Especially after his partner Vasquez (Jade Ramirez) let’s the cat out of the bag that Sheryl was questioned about the first victim’s death. Sheryl is equally oblivious to David’s job until then. That’s more easily accepted given she is not a detective, and her attention is split between this relationship and her bloody quest for beauty.
Anthea Neri Best does a great job with the lead role. Sheryl’s loose grasp on her sanity is always in danger of slipping completely. She tries to keep up pretenses at work and when going about her day-to-day life…seeing someone with a great set of eyes or head of hair will set her off in a flash, however. Ted, on the other hand, isn’t hiding anything. Shaan Sharma plays him like a total madman. Everything is funny to him…and he’s capable of doing anything at a moment’s notice. It’s a fun performance in a role without rules.
Sheryl is the darkest of comedies. Finding humor in the blackest corners of the human psyche and in the bleakest moments. It’s a violent one too. When Sheryl completes her “perfect face” …the movie culminates in a wild climax. This is Sheryl at its most beautiful. The character finding her most beautiful form…the movie giving into its wildest impulses.
With a dark comedic script, committed performances and penchant for shocking violence, Sheryl hits all the marks it’s aiming for. The specter of getting caught looms over her escapades…but it never feels as troubling as Sheryl failing on her personal journey of discovery. Even if what she discovers is that one person’s beauty is another person’s horrific, ugly death.
Scare Value
Those in search of a dark comedy will find a lot to like in Sheryl. Watching the titular character juggle her murderous obsessions and her budding relationship with the detective assigned to track her down provides several great moments. Most of them turn to violence as Sheryl continues to build her perfect face. All roads lead to a bloody, wild climax as she becomes the version of herself that she finds beautiful.
