Poppy Roe’s performance stands out as the delusional serial-killer who truly believes she can be the next Tony Robbins, but Katie Brayben holds her own as the equally delusional mousy dreamer turned murderer. The gurus we meet along the way are hilarious, including Owain Rhys Davies as Marcus and Fiona Glascott as Sharon Deliver-Brandt, a pair of perverted sound therapists. Especially wonderful is Fleabag’s Sian Clifford as Cynthia, a psychedelic zen yogi who purports to send her followers back to the womb where our trauma begins. The meeting with “final boss” and Lou’s former hero Chuck Knoah, whose narration accompanies Lou’s supposed growth throughout the film shows her transformation and how all heroes aren’t truly infallible.
“…a grand statement about personal autonomy and how to navigate it in a world full of proverbial snake-oil salesmen…”
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life is more than the sum of its parts. It makes a grand statement about personal autonomy and how to navigate it in a world full of proverbial snake-oil salesmen. It also lets us know that we are the only people in charge of our own lives, and often the people we let rule over us are just as dysfunctional as we are, if not more so. It puts a whole new spin on the phrase “Kill your idols” for sure. Writer/Director Staten Cousins Roe weaves a very impressive if not twisted morality tale in a little under an hour and a half. If you love British comedy, serial killers, or both, this is a film you absolutely need to see.
"…as the delusional serial-killer who truly believes she can be the next Tony Robbins..."
