[REVIEW] BITS22 ‘The Protector’
Following her release from a juvenile detention centre, Evelyn struggles to adjust back into everyday life as an adult. Living a monotonous lifestyle, Evelyn works, attends probation check ins, and sees her psychologist; a woman tasked with helping her back into routine. The conditions of her parole is that she lives a life under the radar, stay out of trouble, work, and take medication to help with her trauma. Evelyn’s life is disrupted by the arrival of a book foreboding the arrival of an ancient god, a powerful god that is said to bring peace wherever he goes. What Evelyn discovers is a conspiracy as she investigates the god and those who had brought them to her small town.
Written and directed by Lenin M. Sivam The Protector premiered at Fantasia festival on July 28, 2022. The film stars Chelsea Clark as the tenacious and determined Evelyn who after stabbing her stepfather to death, spends over a decade in a juvenile detention centre. Upon her release she is attempts to live a life uninterrupted until she is thrown into investigating why her small town has never experienced crime since the night she killed her mother’s abuser.
The film explores themes such as revenge, morals, retribution, and trauma. Some of these themes are overt in how they are expressed and written, woven into the makeup of the script and visual direction of the film. However; some themes are not completely realised but are not a detriment to the entirity of the film.
The Protector is an interesting and unique story that navigates the world of young Evelyn and how her selfless act of protecting her mother impacted her life. The film explores the trauma that infiltrated Evelyn’s life and has impacted the way in which those around her interact and treat her; often gaslighting her. Evelyn has very few people that she trusts but we do see how she slowly lets others into her inner circle. The development of Evelyn as a character is gratifying as the audience sees Evelyn for who she is—tenacious, badass, and smart.
Throughout the film, there are flashbacks and dream sequences that show a mysterious dreadlocked man played by Pras Lingam. These sequences bring a sense of magical realism to the film and break up the investigation story arc, showing the brutal and horror elements through consequential storytelling. The portrayal of the ancient god by Pras Lingam adds a dynamic element to The Protector while showing the depth that the story could have gone to in developing an engaging narrative, an aspect that is slightly missed throughout the film.
While the ending of The Protector is predictable and follows a formulaic third act arc, it doesn’t detract from the engaging storytelling that comes before it. Chelsea Clark as Evelyn is convincing and engrossing as she takes the viewer on a journey through her own eyes discovering how her world and the world of the protector intertwines. The Protector provides audiences with a unique storytelling experience; however, unfortunately it doesn’t reach its full potential, dropping off as the third act rolls around.
