Purity
05-Oct-2018
A brother and sister in the San Fernando Valley reunite after the sister is forced from her home and daughter. “Purity,” by director Max Roux, is an emotionally raw drama about a broken family trying to keep it together in an ugly world. Riley shows up at the apartment of her brother, Karl, with no other options. In desperate need of quick cash, she begins work as a cam girl, serving up sexual fantasies to abusive, entitled men. Karl himself has fallen into the questionable racket of peddling blenders over the phone. When his sister calls on him for help, he readily offers but also needs space to navigate his own love life, i.e. looking for dates on Bumble. Add to that, their alcoholic mother who has burned every bridge and failed to instill in her kids a sense of stability or protection. Over the course of a couple days, Riley and Karl search for new jobs and new relationships while reckoning with their painful past. Sam Lerner and Mackinlee Waddell give affecting performances as the siblings; Roux nicely balances the melodramatic against the tender, exhibiting a real compassion for his damaged characters looking for a way forward. See also: Roux’s previous short, “Catlady”, starring Jade Louise, who contributes the score here. -KA. Starring Sam Lerner, Mackinlee Waddell and Morgan Maher. Directed by Max Roux. Written by Nicholas Laskin & Max Roux. Produced by Grace Owens-Stively, Roxy Campos & Max Roux. Director of Photography Marshall Douglis. Editor Imran Virani. Original Score Jade Louise.