Girl From Nowhere

The power of a beautiful woman, even if she’s a devil within

A couple from Cape Town traveling to their desert getaway (Scot Cooper & Tamryn Speirs) picks up a beautiful girl curiously hitchhiking the remote highway (Christia Visser). They invite her to their hideaway, but might regret it.

"Girl from Nowhere" (2017) is an Indie psychological drama from South Africa costing $203,000 (converted). Aside from the mental dramatics, it proficiently focuses on the beauty of the South African desert wilderness and that of Liza (Christia Visser) mixed with quality eclectic folk/rock reminiscent of stuff by the likes of Orenda Fink and Ane Brun.

It explores the same theme addressed in “Afternoon Delight” (2013), the spellbinding power of a beautiful woman who might be a devil within. Liza has a body sculptured by God himself, and this is a highlight of the flick, but her attitude is a big red flag, not to mention a turn-off.

The acting isn’t great, but it’s serviceable for a low-budget Indy. The positives noted above made me appreciate the flick, but the last act is too freestyled, like director/writer Mark Jackson & the cast made a lot of it up as they were shooting. Nonetheless, the ending makes a powerful point that’s true to reality.

The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in Cederberg, Western Cape, South Africa, about 2 hours’ drive north of Cape Town.

GRADE: B-/C+

Not a great movie but one worth watching, in particular for two reasons

First reason, Christia Visser in her debut movie role. She is gorgeous and frankly impossible to overlook. I hope those of us in the USA will get to see more of her in the future. Not only is she a looker, she has serious acting chops.

Second reason, the amazing scenery. The place where this was filmed (the Cederberg region of South Africa's Western Cape) has to be one of the most beautiful spots on Earth. And rarely is scenery a main point of note for me when watching a movie.