Black Eyed Susan [Fantasia International Film Festival Review]

by Mike McGranaghan

One of the things you can always count on with the Fantasia International Film Festival is that it will offer movies specifically designed to provoke you. That’s certainly the case with Black Eyed Susan. Writer/director Scooter McCrae confronts viewers with some tough questions about masculinity and how we should handle it when it becomes toxic. Bold and challenging, the movie isn’t what you’d call traditionally entertaining, yet it is absolutely worth seeing and arguing about.

Desperate for work, Derek (Damian Maffei) takes a job with a technology company run by old friend Gilbert (Marc Romeo). They’ve developed a lifelike BDSM sex doll that is specially programmed to enjoy being physically abused. “Susan” (Yvonne Emilie Thälker) not only invites punishment, she taunts her partner until he delivers it. Derek feels uncomfortable after initial test sessions, given that she bleeds and bruises realistically. He can’t quite believe that he’s mustered up the anger to hit a woman, even if she’s synthetic. When they’re sent to a private home for a longer session, he shows Susan kindness and even a hint of romance, which she initially responds to. Her programming is designed to crave something else, though, ultimately putting Derek in a dangerous place.

Black Eyed Susan operates from the premise that many men have a dark side capable of violence under the right circumstances. They may keep it in check, or they may not. Either way, it’s there. Derek finds himself working for a company whose theory is that it’s better for men prone to abuse to take out their aggression on a fake woman instead of a real one. Running parallel to that is the notion that being violent is a turn-on for some guys. Derek is uncertain about his employer’s mission, yet undeniably susceptible to Susan’s provocations.

McCrae shot the movie on 16mm film for a very low budget. He gets a lot of mileage out of what he has at his disposal. The film stock provides a moody, atmospheric look befitting the story. Strong performances add to that. Maffei is very good at conveying the way Derek attempts to view himself as a “nice guy” at the same time that he faces uncomfortable temptations. Thälker does equally fine work as Susan. Completely nude throughout, they are exceptionally impressive portraying a not-real figure who nevertheless has a personality.

Black Eyed Susan contains a third-act development that takes its central concept to a new, even more horrifying place. When it’s over, you can’t help asking yourself: Would it be better if abuse-prone men had something realistic to unload on, or is that just implicitly encouraging their abusive ways? Do we provide them with an outlet or attempt to change their behavior all the way around? If a sex doll like Susan actually existed, would it unleash impulses from guys who would never hit a real woman?

The movie’s dialogue is graphic, its sexuality explicit, and its power undeniable. Black Eyed Susan is an important, captivating work.

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