Nothing ever connects well in this supposedly slasher film. It seems like the director was fixated on making each scene compelling, completely ignoring how they don’t even congeal. The generation gap is kind of evident more through a number of OK dialogues compared to the dire depiction of differences between the two main characters – an older millennial and a boomer.
The boomer is like any white blue-collar American Trump supporter in the real world. He overestimates the importance of his generation and passionately hates millennials. But he rents out his house in the countryside to an entitled millennial with the help of an online service. The danger of being around such an individual who can even turn into a barbarous killer has been carelessly exhibited. There are more vague characters than this particular plot deserves and that takes Tone-Deaf to a somewhat pseudo-intellectual level.
Robert Patrick as the psychopathic boomer reminded me of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter one or two times, especially when he broke the fourth wall to deliver his monologue. Nancy Linehan Charles is another actor who has portrayed her vulnerable character exceptionally well. However, writer/director Richard Bates Jr. couldn’t use the good cast and remarkable cinematography to make an average film like Tone-Deaf stand out.
Arche 