Taglines: A black and blue comedy.
In this dark, gritty, mean-spirited, but well-made comedy-drama, Veronica (Sandra Oh) is an superficial, entitled housewife dealing with her home life. Ashley (Anne Heche) is a self-obsessed, misanthropic, artist dealing with her career and her life partner Lisa (Alicia Silverstone) who wants to raise a baby. Veronica and Ashely’s paths cross at a party hosted by Veronica’s husband, which the two cynical woman’s long-buried rivalry comes to the surface which leads to a brutal cat-fight where Veronica ends up in the hospital in a coma.
After two years, Veronica emerges from her coma to learn that both her husband and teenage son are dead, and she is broke with no friends or family. On the other hand, Ashley has become a successful and wealthy artist now married to Lisa. Veronica blames Ashley for her downfall, and after another confrontation which leads to another savage cat-fight in a vacant lot, Ashley is the one to end up in a coma and is revived after two years to find her own world changed for the worse. Now, Ashley is obsessed to track down Veronica to settle the score once and for all. Will Veronica and Ashely’s personal war never end?
Catfight is an American action comedy film directed and written by Onur Tukel. The film stars Sandra Oh, Anne Heche, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Hill, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Ariel Kavoussi, Craig Bierko, and Dylan Baker. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2016, before being released in a limited release and through video on demand on March 3, 2017, by Dark Sky Films.
About the Story
The film opens showing the lives of two women, outsider artist Ashley Miller (Heche) and wealthy housewife Veronica Salt (Oh). Ashley is struggling to sell her dark and apocalyptic artwork, straining her relationship with her girlfriend Lisa, and she is also verbally abusive to her assistant Sally. Veronica, meanwhile, is an alcoholic who is treated with disdain by her husband Stanley, and although she loves her son Kip dearly, she carelessly mocks his drawing talent. Both women watch a political news show that reports escalating tension between the United States and the Middle East.
Stanley throws a birthday party for his business partner. Lisa, who is catering the party, forces Ashley to help her. While tending the bar, Veronica comes for a drink and the two women recognize each other from college – they were once friends, until Veronica suddenly stopped speaking to Ashley for unclear reasons. Although they both try to make pleasant small talk, they quickly offend each other and descend into bitter verbal barbs.
After getting drunk, Veronica is told to leave by her husband, and she runs into Ashley smoking in the stairwell. The two sling hateful insults at each other, leading to a violent fight. Ashley ends up getting the upper hand, punching Veronica multiple times in the face before leaving. Veronica, badly injured, attempts to stand up but collapses down the stairs, falling into a coma.
Two years later, Veronica awakens in the hospital with no memory of her fight with Ashley. She is horrified to learn that while she was in a coma, her husband died in a car accident, her son died after joining the military following the reinstatement of the draft for the war in the Middle East, and all of her money was spent to pay for her treatment.
Now broke and alone, Veronica moves in with her former housekeeper Donna and gets a job as a maid. Meanwhile, Ashley has become a famous artist after the war causes her dark paintings to become popular. She and Lisa also decide to start a family, and Ashley is successfully impregnated after they use a sperm donor; however, Ashley and Lisa’s differing beliefs on how to prepare for the baby and raise it cause their relationship to once again become estranged.
One day while cleaning a hotel room, Veronica finds a magazine with Ashley on the front cover, and is annoyed that her old college friend is now successful. Veronica clashes with Donna over their opinions about the war, and she is forced to move in with her mentally unstable Aunt Charlie. Before leaving New York, Veronica finds a video recording left to her by Kip, who reveals he left art school to join the army because he believed it would make Veronica proud. Veronica breaks down in tears.
Later, a drunk Veronica goes to the opening of Ashley’s new gallery. When she sees a painting depicting her own bloodied face, Veronica suddenly remembers their fight and realizes Ashley is the reason she lost everything. Veronica goes into a rage and begins destroying the paintings, and Ashley is shocked to see her when she tries to stop her. Veronica punches Ashley and runs off with the painting of her face. Ashley runs after her into a construction site, where the two begin brutally beating each other with various tools. Veronica manages to overpower Ashley and hits her over the head several times with a wrench. Satisfied with her revenge, Veronica stumbles away. Ashley attempts to stand up, but a cinder block falls and hits her in the head, and she falls into a coma.
Catfight (2017)
Directed by: Onur Tukel
Starring: Sandra Oh, Anne Heche, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Hill, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Ariel Kavoussi, Damian Young, Catherine Curtin, Eva Dorrepaal, Ronald Guttman, Ivana Milicevic
Screenplay by: Onur Tukel
Production Design by: Estee Braverman
Cinematography by: Zoe White
Film Editing by: Onur Tukel
Costume Design by: Charlie LaRose
Art Direction by: Malik McMullen
Costume Design by: Charlie LaRose
Distributed by: Dark Sky Films
Release Date: March 3, 2017
