Walk All Over Me | Review

By Nadine Evans

Robert Cuffley's second film is a perplexing mix of sexual domination, action and self discovery.

Calgary born writer/director Robert Cuffley has a little fun in his sophomore feature, Walk All Over Me. Premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, the film features the enchanting LeeLee Sobieski, as timid Alberta, a nervous, small town girl with a knack for finding trouble. Fleeing her convenience store job when her rough, ill tempered boyfriend is beaten up by her boss, she heads west to Vancouver, where she convinces her former babysitter, Celine (the always lovely Tricia Helfer) to take her in temporarily.

Celine, a tough talking, aspiring actress spends her days and nights as a dominatrix, a lifestyle that captivates wide eyed Alberta. After securing a safe, albeit boring job as a checkout clerk in a discount department store, Alberta finds herself enthralled by the excitement of her roomate's world. When she intercepts a new client call, Alberta masks as the dominatrix, arranging a meeting with Paul (Jacob Tierney), a seemingly harmless bloke with his own troubling past. An awkward meeting ensues, as Alberta endearingly stutters through her charade.

Soon, Alberta is unwittingly thrown into Paul's chaotic world, when the pair is accosted by his former boss, the dark and alarming Rene (Lothaire Bluteau), who is convinced that Paul has stolen his money. When Rene's henchmen, broad shouldered muscleman Aaron and his delightfully obtuse younger brother Isaac, accidentally beat Paul unconscious and fear they may have murdered him, Alberta escapes with a duffle bag full of cash. She returns to Celine to be chastised for her lack of judgement.

Thinking she's in the clear, Alberta guiltily ponders rescuing Paul, with whom she bonded in their brief encounter. Before she has the opportunity, she's surprised by Rene, who had easily tracked her whereabouts. Forceful Celine, with years of domineering under her belt is also surprised by Rene, but fearlessly overpowers him. Adventure results, as Alberta and Celine set out to free Paul, defeat the miscreants and run off into the sunset with the duffle bag of money.

Although an original and intriguing premise injected with solid performances, Walk All Over Me is at best, a bit too ambitious for its own good. At times Cuffley's film teeters on a feministic sexual escapade piece, with strong supportive Celine mentoring the weak, demure protagonist to engage her inner beast. With hot, smart talking, ass-kicking Celine captivating the scene, Cuffley has unleashed some good old fashioned girl power.

Sexual dominance ever present, the filmmaker enjoys terrifying audiences with heavy handed torture toys. There are fleeting comic moments between the burly Aaron and his bumbling sidekick brother, as well as the sweet, romantic undertones of a budding relationship between Alberta and Paul. Clichéd character development distractions and stilted dialogue - such as Rene's poor fathering skills and Paul's proclamations of innocence - further clog up the film, shifting focus from Alberta's blossoming backbone. With far too much story packed into a little film, there is little time to be the action, heist-gone-bad, romance it desires. In the end, it fails at all.

Yet, all is not lost for this aspiring little picture. Walk All Over Me is ultimately a story of Alberta, a shy, down on her luck girl who's been kicked around by life. By grasping to one of the most intriguing and desirable elements of her sexuality, she learns to control and eventually dominate, surprising herself by her wits, brains and bravado. With an enjoyable finale, we're left cheering for Alberta and her remarkable, if accidental, journey. In the end, isn't that what a movie should be?