DELIA'S GONE -- An Incredibly Frustrating Film

Review by Paris Jade

A man with a mental disability is accused of murdering his sister and goes on a journey to find out the truth and clear his name in Delia's Gone. Despite a great performance by Stephan James and supported by a cast of none other than Marisa Tomei and Paul Walter Hauser, Delia's Gone was surprisingly underwhelming nonetheless. 

The film's main shortcoming is its plot, which is just alright. It's sometimes a bit frustrating as you watch Louis (Stephan James) struggle to find his sister's killer. The beginning is a bit slow, and for the first fifteen minutes, you don't really have to pay attention to anything happening until his sister is dead. After that, the film picks up, and you're thrown into a complete mess. There are people after Louis the entire time, and no one seems to answer his questions. Yes, it is trying to build suspense and give it a sense of mystery; however, you know what's going on, and as you have to sit there and watch Louis try and put the pieces together and question people, you can't help but yell at your screen and tell him exactly what happened to his sister. I'm not sure if the writers intended it to be that obvious, but it makes the experience a little less enjoyable. You also get incredibly frustrated with Tomei and Hauser's characters, the people after him. They are the officers of the small town tracking down Louis to ensure he doesn't do anything wrong. You just want them to leave him alone because they continue to make things worse. That, however, is most definitely on purpose. It just adds to the already annoying scenario. ​

Even though the plot is just okay, I will give credit where it is due and praise Stephan James for his performance of Louis. He disappeared into the role and did a great job. Everyone should be on the lookout for what he does next. There were a lot of cinematic moments that felt absolutely right and somehow made you feel good during such a frustrating film. Delia's Gone isn't a must-watch movie. I can't picture anyone dying to see this. However, if you're into mysteries and might have already seen all the really good ones, give this a gander and take your chances. It won't be your favorite, and you might get a little frustrated, but it's not a bad movie. 

See Delia’s Gone in theaters on August 19th and VOD on September 9th.

Rating: 3/5