Omar Epps is That Creepy and Crazy in Fatal Affair
As a young college student, I had a professor who was obsessed with me to the point of staking. Decades later, he would eventually be reported losing his tenure at the institution. There is nothing is more unsettling than to have someone not connecting with the message “you are just not that into him” and watching them unravel at the seams over that news.
As luck would have it, that is very similar to what happens with Ellie Warner (Nia Long) and the dude that was crushing on her in college David Hammond (Omar Epps). Ellie has moved to a suburban seaboard town with her husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) mostly for his recovery and to embark life as her own boss. Right before she leaves her old firm, she has an unexpected meeting with David, who’s been hired to dig up cyber dirt on a client. Baby, that’s when the ish hits the fan!
When I tell you Omar Epps is creepy and crazy as hell in the film…I do NOT exaggerate. Unlike in Traffik, where he’s the hunted, this time he is doing the hunting. The number of times I screamed and yelled at. my television set was ridiculous…yet so much fun. Nia Long (also the Executive Producer) is gorgeous, classy and hardly ever allowed to stretch the scope of her range. In Fatal Affair, she stretches within an inch of her life…literally and it’s captivating to watch. Stephen Bishop, usually relegated to playing the handsome, yet trifling significant other, is now the dutiful, supporting, loving husband and pulls it off brilliantly.
Now, have we seen this before? Absolutely….numerous times. But, let’s applaud the fact that the tide is shifting in the industry where an OG like Nia Long produces, stars in and casts primarily Black actors in a thriller. A genre that is mostly associated with and starring others. I do have to take writer and director Peter Sullivan to task about one scene where I was like a Black women would “never” do THAT. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it. Otherwise, grab a cocktail, some snacks and sit down with Fatal Affair streaming on Netflix right now.
Carla Renata
I love, love love movies, watching them and discussing them...thus the birth of The Curvy Film Critic!!! Host/Producer/FilmCritic,Carla Renata is a member of such esteemed organizations as Critics Choice Association (Co-President Documentary Branch and Board Member), African American Film Critics Association and Online Association of Female Film Critics. My op-eds or features have been seen in Variety , RogerEbert.com, The Wrap The Cherry Picks, as well as being a frequent Guest Contributor to Fox 11-LA, Good Day LA, ET Live!, Turner Classic Movies, The Cherry Picks, The Stream Team (Beond TV) ITV, Fox Soul's The Black Report, The ListTV and more. Catch my reviews on The Curvy Critic with Carla Renata - LIVE!!! Sundays 5pm PST via You Tube or Facebook Live. If you like what you read please shout me out and subscribe to The Curvy Critic on YouTube. You can chat with me across all social media platforms @TheCurvyCritic and as always, thanks for supporting a sista'
3 Comments
Greg
Just because Fatal Affair is directed by a black woman doesn’t mean it’s good. The script was horrendous, the acting questionable. Lets push ourselves to do our very best & not praise sub-par work…this is coming from a black woman btw.
Carla Renata
First off…Thank you for your commentary. Secondly, the film is directed by Peter Sullivan who is NOT a black woman. The script is written by Peter and Rasheeda Garnerer who IS a black woman. Everything ain’t for everybody. You are entitled to your opinion. However, if you take a look at what I actually said, I didn’t PRAISE the film. I praised Nia Long being a first time Exective Producer and getting a project made being behind the scenes. Which in Hollywood is truly a accomplishment being black AND a woman. So the next time you want to come at me about what and how I expressed MY opinion on MY page, I suggest you actually read WHAT I said, which are NONE of the things you criticize me for. Thanks 🙏🏽
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