Love is in the air.
Sometimes couples want to spice things up in their lives (and the bedroom). They may turn to travel, a new house, new adults toys, the list goes on. But, in directors Nick McAnulty and Brian Allan Stewart’s film Capture Kill Release, this couple turns to cold-hearted murder.
Jen (Jennifer Fraser) and Farhang (Farhang Ghajar) are a seemingly happy married couple living in a suburban area in a nice-sized home. They appear to love each other and enjoy their lives together. But, then, Jen begins to talk about their plan to commit a murder. They’ve already decided to do it and that they’ll film the whole thing. Now, in Capture Kill Release, we watch them meticulously what weapons to use, how to resize the bathroom for a dead body, and pick their victim. Barring films like August Underground, this is as close to a snuff film as you can get without watching the real film.
The camera zooms in on saws hacking through arms and guts piling up in the tub. It’s an unflinching portrayal of the violence from the perspective of the killers. The viewer is placed in the subject position of both characters, seeing through their eyes and therefore implicating the viewer in the atrocities. This makes the viewing experience that much more uncomfortable on top of seeing blood drain out of the tub. Films such as The Poughkeepsie Tapes and Be My Cat utilize the killer’s perspective for similar reasons. But, in Capture Kill Release, this is a much more intimate portrayal of the minds of two killers, one of which is being coerced into the act.
The viewer enters the film after they’ve decided their plan. They’ve already committed to. But, as they film each other, the dynamic between the two becomes clear. This isn’t just a single psychopath filming his exploits. These are two people with complicated feelings, trying to navigate love in the face of the unimaginable. Jen and Farhang aren’t just married; they depend on one another. They are each other’s anchors to the point of co-dependency. The first-person perspective allows us to better understand the minds of Jen and Farhang as they become more embroiled in this plan.
The best thing about the film is Jen, one of its central characters and the main antagonist. Yes, she is the film’s villain. It’s her idea to kill someone, manipulating Farhang into agreeing with her sweet smile, exuberant life, and high sex drive. There’s something charming about her—until you learn about her murderous impulses. In most found footage movies, and horror in general, women aren’t given much nuance or complexity. There are few female anti-heroes who are bad people but get a fascinating story. Here, in Capture Kill Release, McAnulty and Stewart give us just that.
Even more, they subvert the expectations of sexuality in found footage. Typically, the handheld camera is used by a man to secretly film a sexual encounter. He hides it under clothes or on a shelf to break the trust of his sexual partner. There’s very little in terms of consensual sex in found footage. And yet, in Capture Kill Release, Jen initiates sex while holding the camera. She is given agency in this moment as she is not being tricked or assaulted. And Farhang consents! So they film themselves having sex in a way that in rather pornographic but feels true to the experience of a real couple filming their lives.
Then, as Farhang refuses to continue the project, Jen hides the camera to film their sex. She tries to seduce Farhang and keeps looking at the camera. He notices and quickly finds the camera hidden under a pile of laundry. This is not the typical “woman discovers man is a creep”; this is a married woman objectifying and manipulating her husband.
By absolutely no means is Jen an admirable person. She’s downright despicable. But she is an incredible horror villain the likes I’ve never seen in found footage or otherwise. Her every action is disgusting, and yet I’m still compelled by her.
In the words of the late Meatloaf, “I would do anything for love. But I won’t do that”. That should be the logline for Capture Kill Release. This shocking found footage film isn’t just about that shock factor, though. It’s about love and how we come to depend on someone in a relationship. Sure, in reality, if your partner asked to kill someone, you’d think you’d leave immediately. But Capture Kill Release wants to entertain the idea that maybe you’d stay; maybe you’d help. After all, love makes us do crazy things.
