The first act of Gemini was magnificent due to its inserts of top-notch acting and compelling themes. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie transforms into your typical, predictable, murder mystery which definitively never rightly goes anywhere. (Verdict: C+)
70 Reviews
I hate getting sucked into a mystery suspense film only to have the lamest of resolutions.
planktonrules24 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The set-up and acting in "Gemini" is excellent...and the film really sucked me into the story. So, when in the end NOTHING satisfying occurred, it left me angry...and angry that the title itself betrays much of the ending.
The story is about some obnoxious actress (Zoë Kravitz). She is freaked about...but exactly WHAT you don't know. But she doesn't want to be alone and stays with her assistant, Jill (Lola Kirke). She also asks if she can borrow Jill's gun. Soon after this, Jill has to run an errand and returns to find what she assumes is the actress...dead on the floor in the mansion...riddled with bullets from Jill's gun. So what does she do when the police investigate? Yup...she runs and tries to solve the crime herself.
The biggest problem with this film is that while I COULD accept the cliché of Jill trying to solve the crime (common in older film noir pics), I could not tolerate the finale...where, essentially, you learned that no real crime occurred!! What???!!!! So, apparently the entire film you just saw is a waste of time AND the title betrays the ending....wow...what a wonderful setup all amounting to nothing.
The story is about some obnoxious actress (Zoë Kravitz). She is freaked about...but exactly WHAT you don't know. But she doesn't want to be alone and stays with her assistant, Jill (Lola Kirke). She also asks if she can borrow Jill's gun. Soon after this, Jill has to run an errand and returns to find what she assumes is the actress...dead on the floor in the mansion...riddled with bullets from Jill's gun. So what does she do when the police investigate? Yup...she runs and tries to solve the crime herself.
The biggest problem with this film is that while I COULD accept the cliché of Jill trying to solve the crime (common in older film noir pics), I could not tolerate the finale...where, essentially, you learned that no real crime occurred!! What???!!!! So, apparently the entire film you just saw is a waste of time AND the title betrays the ending....wow...what a wonderful setup all amounting to nothing.
Leaves you unsatisfied
dhrlevibos18 June 2018
Begins hopeful, with the prospects of being a fresh movie, fresh idea and script. But as stated by other reviews the quality and the 'pace' of the story quickly decline.
It feels like they tried to give off some kind of Mullholland Drive vibe, but halfway decided to open the 'box of lame'.
Felt promising, but turned out to be not as good initially anticipated. Worth the watch though (if you have a spare hour and a half).
Felt promising, but turned out to be not as good initially anticipated. Worth the watch though (if you have a spare hour and a half).
somewhat intriguing, but sometimes silly
dave-mcclain7 April 2018
"Gemini" (R, 1:33) is a mystery thriller that explores the down-side of celebrity and does so in a darkly comedic and insightful way, packaging it all in a semi-serious who-dun-it. The movie is directed and written by Aaron Katz ("Land Ho!", "Cold Weather", "Quiet City") and stars Zoë Kravitz as a Hollywood starlet, Lola Kirke as her personal assistant and John Cho as a detective investigating a murder.
Heather Anderson (Kravitz) is a movie star, but she doesn't seem very happy about it. She has decided that she doesn't feel like doing a movie about which she is about to have a meeting in a restaurant. She sends Jill (Kirke), her assistant and best friend, to tell the producer the news. After the producer storms off, Heather comes in and sits down, where she is approached by a young woman who insists on joining the two women in their booth and asking Heather very personal questions. In the midst of all this, Jill fields a phone call from another actor who is very angry with Heather about something (threatening Heather) - and the women have to deal with a paparazzo who's so persistent, they know him by name.
When they finally leave the restaurant, Heather wants to stop by Jill's place and asks to borrow Jill's gun so she'll feel safer. The women then call over another female friend and they just hang out at Jill's place. Jill gets drunk, so Heather has to drive herself home (with Jill in tow) and Jill asks to sleep on Heather's couch. The motion-activated lighting then comes on outside. Jill thinks it was just an animal that set off the light, but Heather's worried and Jill ends up sleeping in Heather's bed. And now... the stage is set.
The next morning Jill gets up early to go tell another producer that Heather isn't going to do the required reshoots on a film she completed. Before she leaves Heather's house, Jill takes her gun back out of Heather's purse, thinks about taking it back home, but decides to put it back... and then it goes off. Heather comes running, but isn't upset about the damage to her house; she's just glad Jill isn't hurt. When Jill gets back, she has to call the police to report the lifeless body on the floor. Detective Ahn (Cho) starts questioning Jill as if she's responsible. When Jill finds out she's about to be arrested for Heather's murder, she runs off and, on her own, starts investigating the people who might want Heather dead.
"Gemini" is an interesting, but silly mystery. At times, it's unintentionally humorous, with more than its share of plot holes, but it's fun to try figuring out the truth, with so many possible suspects and scenarios. The relationship between Heather and Jill feels authentic, but the rest of the supporting characters... don't. Most of the acting is merely passable and the characters that the actors play... do things that don't make sense. Wasted potential. "C+"
Heather Anderson (Kravitz) is a movie star, but she doesn't seem very happy about it. She has decided that she doesn't feel like doing a movie about which she is about to have a meeting in a restaurant. She sends Jill (Kirke), her assistant and best friend, to tell the producer the news. After the producer storms off, Heather comes in and sits down, where she is approached by a young woman who insists on joining the two women in their booth and asking Heather very personal questions. In the midst of all this, Jill fields a phone call from another actor who is very angry with Heather about something (threatening Heather) - and the women have to deal with a paparazzo who's so persistent, they know him by name.
When they finally leave the restaurant, Heather wants to stop by Jill's place and asks to borrow Jill's gun so she'll feel safer. The women then call over another female friend and they just hang out at Jill's place. Jill gets drunk, so Heather has to drive herself home (with Jill in tow) and Jill asks to sleep on Heather's couch. The motion-activated lighting then comes on outside. Jill thinks it was just an animal that set off the light, but Heather's worried and Jill ends up sleeping in Heather's bed. And now... the stage is set.
The next morning Jill gets up early to go tell another producer that Heather isn't going to do the required reshoots on a film she completed. Before she leaves Heather's house, Jill takes her gun back out of Heather's purse, thinks about taking it back home, but decides to put it back... and then it goes off. Heather comes running, but isn't upset about the damage to her house; she's just glad Jill isn't hurt. When Jill gets back, she has to call the police to report the lifeless body on the floor. Detective Ahn (Cho) starts questioning Jill as if she's responsible. When Jill finds out she's about to be arrested for Heather's murder, she runs off and, on her own, starts investigating the people who might want Heather dead.
"Gemini" is an interesting, but silly mystery. At times, it's unintentionally humorous, with more than its share of plot holes, but it's fun to try figuring out the truth, with so many possible suspects and scenarios. The relationship between Heather and Jill feels authentic, but the rest of the supporting characters... don't. Most of the acting is merely passable and the characters that the actors play... do things that don't make sense. Wasted potential. "C+"
Lacking in depth or clarity
cguldal19 April 2018
Gemini starts strong. The set-up, if you will, is well done. Tension slowly builds and the event, the "heinous crime," happens as expected. The assistant/friend of the celebrity is under suspicion, as expected. There are some tense moments when questions are asked, and the assistant takes off to find her own answers. After this point, nothing that happens comes as a surprise, or adds to the film. In the end, it's not clear what the movie is trying to say. If it is saying the things that one thinks it is, then it's way too subtle. The events present an opportunity for the assistant to take charge, to have the upper hand, but she doesn't seem to? Not clear. At some point we're to think that the celebrity is a bit evil, manipulating everyone around her, but then again, maybe not. Back and forth, the film left us with a "meh, not sure what that was trying to say." There were also some scenes that did not really serve a purpose, or the same purpose could have been fulfilled in a better way (the meeting with Jaime, for example, or the coffee scene with the detective and Stan).
disappointing
myriamlenys26 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Imagine the following situation. You go to a restaurant. You've never been there before, but you've heard a lot about the food, especially the desserts, which are supposed to be out of this world. You order. The soup arrives : it is tasty. The main course arrives : it is pretty good, too. Meanwhile waiters and fellow diners speak in hushed voices about the superb dessert being prepared by the great chef himself. Suddenly the chef shows up next to your table and says "I've prepared a truly glorious dessert : baked pineapple with three kinds of honey and chocolate cake. It's the best work I've done in my career. I'm just telling you about it ; you can't order it, you can't eat it. In fact you've been loitering in this restaurant too long. Pay up and go home."
If you, dear reader, have been longing for the cinematic equivalent I can recommend "Gemini" to you. "Gemini" is deeply annoying, in the sense that it has all the makings of a good thriller of the noir (or neo-noir) variety but neglects to provide a decent resolution. Near the end, it simply states that person X killed person Y. As to the "how ?", "why ?" and "what's going to happen now ?" your guess is as good as mine.
In other words, the movie does not keep up its end of the bargain : you have given it your time and attention, but it does not reward you by telling you a coherent tale with a clear, satisfying solution.
It's a pity, since "Gemini" really had promise - think good performances, a stylish look and an interesting setting. It even contained some darkly satirical accents about our contemporary way of life, with its obsession with celebrity and its disregard for boundaries. The ending (or rather the non-ending) rather shot all that down...
If you, dear reader, have been longing for the cinematic equivalent I can recommend "Gemini" to you. "Gemini" is deeply annoying, in the sense that it has all the makings of a good thriller of the noir (or neo-noir) variety but neglects to provide a decent resolution. Near the end, it simply states that person X killed person Y. As to the "how ?", "why ?" and "what's going to happen now ?" your guess is as good as mine.
In other words, the movie does not keep up its end of the bargain : you have given it your time and attention, but it does not reward you by telling you a coherent tale with a clear, satisfying solution.
It's a pity, since "Gemini" really had promise - think good performances, a stylish look and an interesting setting. It even contained some darkly satirical accents about our contemporary way of life, with its obsession with celebrity and its disregard for boundaries. The ending (or rather the non-ending) rather shot all that down...
Lot of style, not much substance
radanichjake26 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start off by saying this is a beautiful movie. The cinematography is gorgeous and there's no complaints about the acting. It's just that there's not much depth to the characters or their motivations. The resolution felt very anticlimactic with the only reasoning behind it was Heather wanted to "get away". There isn't much character development in anyone or their relationships. It felt throughout the movie Heather did have feelings for Jill but it was never confronted or went anywhere. Lots of other mysteries that do most of these things better, but not many that look as good doing them.
Was a solid watch but then the third act happened
layra15-792-96040016 November 2018
Always down for a neo-noir, and I won't lie, the poster and the cast definitely got me. Gemini has an obvious David Lynch influence and maintains its dreamlike, ominous vibe for about two thirds of the movie, which is when -- rather sadly -- it turns into an absolute and utter trainwreck. Maybe a few more weeks in the development room would have birthed a more satisfying (believable? creative? original?) ending, but I guess there's no point lamenting that. I won't tell you not to watch it, but I also won't tell you to watch it.
Disjointed neo-noir lite drama
george.schmidt28 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
GEMINI (2018) ** Lola Kirke, Zoe Kravitz, John Cho, Greta Lee, Michelle Forbes, Nelson Franklin, Ricki Lake. Disjointed neo-noir lite drama about the fragile relationship between friends - one a celebrity (Kravitz) and the other her assistant/BFF (Kirke) - that comes to the ultimate display of friendship involving a violent crime and the aftermath it incurs. While filmmaker Aaron Katz utilized the locales of LA to the nth degree with some truly gorgeous set-ups (thanks to clear-eyed cinematographer Andrew Reed) and sequences the film overall is tedious, predictable and weighs far too heavily on the thin shoulders of one-note Kirke (not a good thing).
Style over substance.
matteveland957 June 2019
A sexy noir "thriller" with no thrills. Full of sexy shots depicting how California must look to the rich and famous, lacking anything worth watching for. Heather is too dry in her attempts to display discontent and troubles, Jill is indifferent in her role. Once again I must say this film is all style with nothing setting itself apart- I do not recommend.
To anyone mentioning Lynch, Mulholland Drive, or Hitchcock- you couldn't be farther off base. Don't fall for these outrageous comparisons. Skip this.
To anyone mentioning Lynch, Mulholland Drive, or Hitchcock- you couldn't be farther off base. Don't fall for these outrageous comparisons. Skip this.
A plain film
Gordon-1114 August 2018
This film tells the story of an assistant of a Hollywood star, who becomes the prime suspect of murder.
The film might have been intense or thrilling, but unfortunately it is neither. The pace is slow, and there is not much happening at all. There is a serious lack of suspense, thrill and excitement. It is not easy for a murder mystery to look plain, but in here it is very plain.
The film might have been intense or thrilling, but unfortunately it is neither. The pace is slow, and there is not much happening at all. There is a serious lack of suspense, thrill and excitement. It is not easy for a murder mystery to look plain, but in here it is very plain.
Really Good Movie
queenmyra20 June 2018
I enjoyed watching it and I liked that the ending was a little bit unexpected, I found it really interesting.
Lola Kirke and Zoe Kravitz are really good in this movie, even if 'Gemini' isn't one of the best movies of their careers.
The plot line was good, Aaron Katz knows how to play with the concept of "suspense".
The only problem that I had while watching it was the quality of the image and the cadres. A little bit more working on filming would've been awesome.
Anyway, it's a movie that is worth watching if you love neo noirs or LA crime stories.
Difficulties of Endings
pc9530 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It has been written and seaid that endings are the most difficult aspects of creating stories and such is the case with director Aaron Katz's movie "Gemini", characterized as a mystery-noir. As others have noted, the cinematography is excellent. On top of that the music hypnotically complementary. However as detractors have rightly pointed out the unfolding of the mystery is plainly disappointing due to its naive simplicity. So the movie seems to get cut short where Katz had ample directions to go. "Gemini has things going for it, so to writ it off as poor would seems too harsh, but flubbing in its ending means its flawed. 6/10 seems like a fair rating. It had potential to be an 8 with rework.
Slow-Moving Thriller
lavatch28 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In the commentary track of the DVD of "Gemini," the writer-director-editor of this modest film is articulate about his goals, and he has some filmmaking skills. But his film was sluggish in the pacing and included too many clichés in the thriller genre.
The film fails to capture the glitzy and high-pressure experience of being a Hollywood star. As an audience, we were never sucked in to the major drama of a personal assistant to a big star, whose murder leads the assistant to try to do the job of the incompetent police detective and prove her own innocence by solving the crime on her own.
In the overall concept, the filmmaker had the obligation to provide a satisfactory resolution. In this case, it was not enough to merely identify who committed the murder and leave the audience hanging on the details. An explanation of what actually occurred at the crime scene was needed. In this regard, "Gemini" left the audience disappointed, especially in the subplot about an apparently obsessed fan who speaks in only one scene.
It was also not credible that the bubbly personal assistant, who is so incompetent with a fire arm that the gun accidentally discharges while she is holding it, would suddenly turn into a skilled private detective. The most ludicrous scene was when she was hiding in a hotel room closet eavesdropping on a would-be suspect. It was not even credible that she could have driven a motorcycle as skillfully as the stunt performer did in the film.
There was a wide range of suspects in this murder saga, and then the filmmaker pulled the rug out from under the audience with a plot device that seemed like a gimmick at the outset. This was a manipulative film that failed one essential test of Screenwriting 101: we need to care about the characters and get an explanation of the crime that was at the center of the drama.
The film fails to capture the glitzy and high-pressure experience of being a Hollywood star. As an audience, we were never sucked in to the major drama of a personal assistant to a big star, whose murder leads the assistant to try to do the job of the incompetent police detective and prove her own innocence by solving the crime on her own.
In the overall concept, the filmmaker had the obligation to provide a satisfactory resolution. In this case, it was not enough to merely identify who committed the murder and leave the audience hanging on the details. An explanation of what actually occurred at the crime scene was needed. In this regard, "Gemini" left the audience disappointed, especially in the subplot about an apparently obsessed fan who speaks in only one scene.
It was also not credible that the bubbly personal assistant, who is so incompetent with a fire arm that the gun accidentally discharges while she is holding it, would suddenly turn into a skilled private detective. The most ludicrous scene was when she was hiding in a hotel room closet eavesdropping on a would-be suspect. It was not even credible that she could have driven a motorcycle as skillfully as the stunt performer did in the film.
There was a wide range of suspects in this murder saga, and then the filmmaker pulled the rug out from under the audience with a plot device that seemed like a gimmick at the outset. This was a manipulative film that failed one essential test of Screenwriting 101: we need to care about the characters and get an explanation of the crime that was at the center of the drama.
Had potential but didn't quite get there
ghostsparkle19 July 2019
fails to get to a higher gear
SnoopyStyle22 December 2018
Jill LeBeau (Lola Kirke) handles everything for movie star Heather Anderson (Zoë Kravitz) as her assistant. Heather feels unsafe and borrows Jill's gun. One day, Jill finds Heather killed with the gun beside her. Police detective Edward Ahn (John Cho) investigates and Jill becomes the prime suspect.
Lola Kirke is a little flat. The premise requires high-tension and dire paranoia. The suspects aren't laid out too well. Other than the paparazzi and the fan, I don't know who are the other characters. It does have a nice style with the noirish L.A. landscape. It's also problematic to not have the full forensic understanding of the crime scene. Ahn lays down selected evidences but it doesn't seem like a full picture. I just figured it'd be a good time to ask for a lawyer. I do really like the twist but the tension is almost drained out of the situation pretty quickly. This seems to be driving on a certain level and never gets on a higher gear.
Lola Kirke is a little flat. The premise requires high-tension and dire paranoia. The suspects aren't laid out too well. Other than the paparazzi and the fan, I don't know who are the other characters. It does have a nice style with the noirish L.A. landscape. It's also problematic to not have the full forensic understanding of the crime scene. Ahn lays down selected evidences but it doesn't seem like a full picture. I just figured it'd be a good time to ask for a lawyer. I do really like the twist but the tension is almost drained out of the situation pretty quickly. This seems to be driving on a certain level and never gets on a higher gear.
About Acting
westsideschl25 July 2018
If this movie was Swiss cheese the massive # of holes in it would make it a celebrity cheese.
1. Actress - background, history, income all unknown. Decides, unknown reason, to drop out of a movie at last second in a cold standup sort of way. Only one person representing film interests was told in a restaurant of all places, his response was equivalent to being stood up for a date.
2. Actress wants a gun for unknown reasons. Actresses' agent accidentally fires gun thus leading her to be a suspect in a scene that makes no sense; was inadequately explained; seems to end up as meaningful as cheap tabloid.
3. There's a police investigation. What on? Not really important because it was so shallowly & stupidly conducted you would think you were watching a cheap movie within a movie.
4. Diversions & misdirection suspects were not presented as serious thus not taken seriously. Acting and scene time? Lots of short sentence rehearsed dialogue talking heads.
5. Typical non-conclusive ending w/knowing smile by one of the main characters. Meaning? A forgettable movie.
Style over substance
wwwranga11 September 2019
Where';s the story
josephkorsak10 July 2019
eh
nyreeadennis26 June 2018
Disappointing
luc_m12 May 2019
A stylish thriller about Hollywood--Americans love this stuff.
JohnDeSando10 April 2018
"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul."
Marilyn Monroe
Gemini is cinematographer Andrew Reed's film, from the glamorous long shots of LA at night, the hideaway bars in the seedy sides, to the dazzlingly modern flats. Any weaknesses in the film itself are swamped by the visual grandeur. It's neo noir in muted neon and low-key suspense.
Movie star Heather (Zoe Kravitz) has charmed everyone who attends to her, even her not-rabidly devoted PA, Jill (Lola Kirke).Trouble brews when Heather bows out of a starring role and compromises several interested parties. After introducing a gun, director Aaron Katz has nowhere else to go according to convention other than to have the weapon return with its bloody purpose.
The thriller part is set, now, to be augmented by recurring motifs of friendship and loyalty, and something of a gay immediacy, lesbian to be precise. While the principals and their pals flirt with possibilities, the film is noir, after all, and requires detective work to flesh out the murderer with the attendant bad guys and girls and bleak setting.
The surprisingly low-key denouement with no appreciable thematic commentary leaves the mystery solved but weightless in human terms. Even a gloss of the industry's shallow hucksterism and uncontrollable ambitions would have been appreciated.
In the end, loyalty is the trump card that will propel the actors into another film with the same challenges and disappointments. Hollywood lives one despite intrigues and occasional murders. Thrillers about the biz will never die, and they will continue to draw us in given our fascination with tinsel town's ersatz loyalty. It's the only royalty we really have anymore.
Gemini is cinematographer Andrew Reed's film, from the glamorous long shots of LA at night, the hideaway bars in the seedy sides, to the dazzlingly modern flats. Any weaknesses in the film itself are swamped by the visual grandeur. It's neo noir in muted neon and low-key suspense.
Movie star Heather (Zoe Kravitz) has charmed everyone who attends to her, even her not-rabidly devoted PA, Jill (Lola Kirke).Trouble brews when Heather bows out of a starring role and compromises several interested parties. After introducing a gun, director Aaron Katz has nowhere else to go according to convention other than to have the weapon return with its bloody purpose.
The thriller part is set, now, to be augmented by recurring motifs of friendship and loyalty, and something of a gay immediacy, lesbian to be precise. While the principals and their pals flirt with possibilities, the film is noir, after all, and requires detective work to flesh out the murderer with the attendant bad guys and girls and bleak setting.
The surprisingly low-key denouement with no appreciable thematic commentary leaves the mystery solved but weightless in human terms. Even a gloss of the industry's shallow hucksterism and uncontrollable ambitions would have been appreciated.
In the end, loyalty is the trump card that will propel the actors into another film with the same challenges and disappointments. Hollywood lives one despite intrigues and occasional murders. Thrillers about the biz will never die, and they will continue to draw us in given our fascination with tinsel town's ersatz loyalty. It's the only royalty we really have anymore.
Great low-stakes modern noir
scheduledgeoff26 August 2018
Great movie. Neo-noir wherein the central event that ties everyone together, and how it affects them, speaks to the nihilism and superficiality of 21st-century Hollywood. Doesn't quite live up to similar movies Good Time and Too Late.
It's solid
benjyoung-16 September 2018
Great performances, engaging story, slick style helmed by a director who clearly knows what they are doing. The score is also fantastic. Not a film that's going to change the world, but I was damn glad I stumbled upon this on a plane.
Bad,bad movie
amir-214-22986525 April 2018
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