Her Name Was Christa: Written Review

Her Name Was Christa

Written Review

Welcome everyone, to MyIndie Review Vlog, sponsored by AngerMan Distribution! I am Asaf Angel from MyIndie Productions. In today’s episode, I’ll be tackling the 2019 horror-romance-thriller Her Name Was Christa, written, directed by and starring indie filmmaker and actor James L. Edwards.

Thank you James for sharing your film with us.

Stephen, portrayed by Edwards himself, is a kind, middle-aged telemarketer, who’s happy smile hides some heart-aching loneliness behind it. At the counsel of Nick, a young, exuberant co-worker, played by Drew Fortier, Stephen goes out into the night to find a prostitute for some compassion and much needed companionship.

Stephen meets Christa, played by Shianne Daye an experienced, street-smart call girl who agrees to give Stephen “The Girlfriend Experience” and fulfill his needs, according to a set price list and rules to abide by. They are to spend a set amount of hours per week, at a set rate, doing normal couples things, with sex being optional, and incurring a higher rate.

Things take a horrible turn for the worse when something morbidly awful happens, slowly revealing a larger, much more grim picture, about the characters involved.

Edwards throws us into a seemingly endearing journey depicting a friendly, yet lonely man. He wonderfully manages to connect us with Stephen‘s character, because it is shown as truly harmless and friendly, just seeking happiness and pining for companionship.

James layers much meaning in subtext that hides within what seems understandable at first glance. Stephen’s character is burdened with heavy baggage, loosely addressed in the film, yet creates intrigue towards him, as well as the whole plot.

It feels the film aims to have us engaged with Stephen‘s character as most of the plot is seen through his eyes. It is apparent that much attention went into character development of Stephen‘s as well as all supporting characters.

There is also a mildly-painful reminder, which projects from the subject matter, dealing with loneliness. A reminder that shows us the viewers, how disconcerting it may feel to find oneself single, over 40 and with a slim track record with regard to past relationships.

An issue I had with the film, had to do with the timing and fashion of tone-shifts, which felt were a little off. At some point, the plot unfolds into something horrifying, and with good reason, considering what we know about the characters up to that stage. I felt the story would have worked better had that same plot point been revealed to have happened in hindsight, after we were being shown its aftermath progress throughout the film, rather than be introduced to it as a pivot point followed by its outcome. I can’t say anymore without spoiling.

Having said that, with Her Name Was Christa, James manages to deliver an effective gut-punch and give us an eerie spin on the festering, debilitating affects of loneliness and loss.

It is one of the more depressing films I’ve come across in my time. I, of course, say that as a good thing. If a film makes you feel anything, positive or negative it has likely done what is was intended to do. One rule of thumb I mentioned in past reviews, which I like to go by with regard to what makes for a quality film, is how long the film occupies your mind after you are done watching. James’ film will likely haunt you for a quite some time.

Production value was fairly decent for an indie film, lighting by MyIndie featured artist Tim Novotny beautifully gave its own particular tone, special FX by Alan Tuskes and makeup by Taylore Cook and Elizabeth Hale were very professional. The soundtrack by Matthew Sturgeon was wonderfully composed in an 80s electronic style and gave the film a unique feel. The performances were nicely executed and it feels Edwards really managed quite an achievement with this slow burn film, given the fact he was writer, director and lead role, it is admirable and worth noting.

Her Name Was Christa scores an 8/10 on the Look at Me, I’m a Film Critic scale!

The film is currently on seeking distribution so stay tuned for more news in the near future.

Thank you, again to AngerMan distribution for Sponsoring our show. If you’d like to catch-up on our past reviews you can find them all on our website, as well as our reviews AND promos on our MyIndie Review Vlog Vimeo channel. Links included.

Until next time, keep supporting indie film. Watch, share, spread the word, my name is Asaf Angel, I thank you for tuning in to MyIndie Review Vlog. I’ll see you next Thursday!