''M.F.A.'' is a 2017 American

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Natalia Leite Natalia Leite is a Brazilian writer and director. She is best known for directing the indie hit film '' M.F.A.,'' a feminist rape-revenge thriller that spurred debates at the start of the #MeToo movement. Subsequently, she went on to direct episod ...

and written by

Leah McKendrick Leah McKendrick (born ) is an American film director, screenwriter, actress, and singer. She is best known for writing and acting in the films ''M.F.A.'' (2017) and ''Scrambled'' (2023). Early life McKendrick was born and raised in San Francisc ...

. The film stars

Francesca Eastwood Francesca Ruth Fisher-Eastwood (born August 7, 1993) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. The daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher, she garnered attention starring with her family on the E! reality series '' Mr ...

Clifton Collins Jr. Clifton Craig Collins Jr. (born June 16, 1970) is an American film and television actor. He is a Primetime Emmy Award, Independent Spirit Award, Satellite Award, and four-time ALMA Award nominee, and a Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Prior t ...

, Leah McKendrick,

Peter Vack Peter S. Brown (born September 19, 1986), better known his stage name Peter Vack, is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He is known for portraying Jason Strider in the MTV comedy series '' I Just Want My Pants Back'' (2011–2012), ...

David Huynh David Huynh (born February 5, 1983) is a Canadian actor. Early life Huynh was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, briefly studied at the University of Manitoba focusing on a major in theater and a minor in film studies. Huynh continue ...

, Marlon Young, David Sullivan, Michael Welch and Mike Manning. The film was released on October 13, 2017, by Dark Sky Films.

Plot

Noelle, an introvert California Masters of Fine Arts graduate student, accepts an invitation to a party by a handsome classmate she has a crush on, only to be lured into his room where he rapes her. The following night Noelle confronts her rapist and in a moment of rage, accidentally kills him. But, much to her surprise, an unexpected surge of inspiration will gradually fuel both her stagnant artistic expression and her thirst for revenge on those who have assaulted women. Now, Noelle becomes a pitiless vigilante who uses her newly-found sex-appeal to serve her cause.

Cast

as Noelle *

as Kennedy *

as Skye *

as Luke *

as Shane * Marlon Young as Professor Rudd * David Sullivan as Cavanaugh * Michael Welch as Mason * Mike Manning as Jeremiah * Andrew Caldwell as Ryder *

Kyler Pettis Kyler Mackenzie Pettis (born October 16, 1992) is an American actor. In 2015, he was cast in the SORASed Theo Carver on the NBC soap opera, ''Days of Our Lives'', a role he remained in until 2018. In 2019, he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

as Conor

Release

The film premiered at

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

on March 13, 2017. On June 8, 2017, Dark Sky Films acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released on October 13, 2017, by Dark Sky Films.

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported an 80% approval rating, based on 25 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' staff said the film was "less a pulse-pounding thriller than a conversation starter about injustice and vigilantism." Leah Pickett of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' praised Francesca Eastwood's performance, calling it "magnetic and convincing", but criticizing the character's "implausibly quick switch from wallflower to assassin."

References

External links

* * 2017 films 2017 thriller films American thriller films American vigilante films Films set in California Films set in universities and colleges Films shot in California American rape and revenge films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language thriller films Films scored by Sonya Belousova {{2010s-thriller-film-stub