SEED

In order to excel at anything, it’s necessary to put forth a little extra effort. There’s no reason why it should be any different for those who practice the world’s oldest profession. For Miriam (Rose McGowan), an attractive but haunted call girl, that extra effort translates into being a chameleon; using an assortment of wigs and wardrobe to transform herself into any given client’s perfect fantasy woman. This is fairly innocuous most of the time, such as when she portrays a platinum blond Marilyn Monroe knock-off for one client (Seymour Cassell). The tricky part of this sly little game of sexual subterfuge, is that occasionally the client is acting out a fantasy role himself. That’s what happens when Scott (Kevin Patrick Walls) comes calling. A polite, decent looking fellow, Scott acts as if Miriam is a long lost, unapproachable woman for whom he’d harbored a flame many years ago. It’s just this slippery sort of double-blind relationship that blurs the line between reality and fantasy for both Miriam and her client and soon, confused, she finds herself opening up to him; plagued by the foreign first stirrings of emotional attachment.
“Seed” is really much more of an intriguing character sketch than a plot-driven film. While that wouldn’t necessarily hold up for an entire feature, it works fine for this short by Karin Thayer. In fact, the more I think about this oddly affecting film, the more I like it. McGowan’s endearing turn as the vulnerable Miriam, underscored by the ghostly echoes of childhood abuse she hears between clients, drives “Seed” to its nicely ambiguous conclusion.