BLOOD ON HER NAME Is A Beautifully Somber Thriller

After an act of self-defense leaves a dead man at her feet, a small town single mother must spring into action to erase the evidence and get rid of the body. As she attempts to do what is right, given the circumstances, she will spiral under the weight of her guilt. Written and directed by Matthew Pope, Blood on Her Name is a tense thriller that puts a macabre spin on “no good deed goes unpunished”.

As blood pulls around her feet, Leigh (Bethany Anne Lind) needs to find the motivation to cover up the crime she’s just committed. Though an act of self-defense, her exes colorful past and their sons more recent brush with trouble, leaves her concerned with calling the authorities – which includes her cop father. She attempts to take matters into her own hands, but she stumbles throughout as the pressure weighs heavy.

Her conscience struggles with what she’s done, but she must remain strong so that she can protect both her and her son. In an effort to offer the dead man’s family closure, she decides to return the body to his home. But her good heart gets her into further trouble as his girlfriend Dani (Elizabeth Röhm) discovers the truth.

The film begins just moments after Leigh has killed an unidentified man. Dropping the viewer in at this point offers an air of mystery, as we have no clue what had transpired before. I appreciated this setup because it also means we know nothing about Leigh either, or the type of person she is. This certainly keeps the viewer pulled in as we slowly learn more about her past and her family dynamics. I enjoyed seeing the layers being pulled back in this way.

Lind also gives an amazing performance as a woman grieving and coming to terms with what she has done. Her guilt and paranoia are perfectly projected through the pain in her eyes as she’s dealing. It’s a great exploration into PTSD in part, and an interesting twist on that phrase that “no good deed goes unpunished”. As she’s obviously committed a major crime, she does her best to rectify the situation, in some sense of the word. Though it never seems enough.

It’s an incredible script that on the surface seems simple, but holds so much deeper meaning. The film artfully balances tense, thrilling moments, with more somber notes that really helps to deliver a beautiful film. It’s a slow-burning thriller that evokes so much emotion and delivers a gut-punching, shocking end. You can catch Blood on Her Name in select theaters and OnDemand, February 28th.