In a suburb of Chicago, Don Koch (Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks) has just purchased a new house. He plans to renovate the downtrodden mansion-esque house for his wife, Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn), his puppy and the baby girl that’s on the way. The house, unbeknownst to them, has a dark past that plans to make life very difficult for Don. As Don works toward a better future for his family, a series of mysterious noises and figures keep him on his toes and the renovations at an incredibly slow pace. Before the Koch family officially moves in, the house will do everything in its power to make sure that doesn’t happen. Girl on the Third Floor tells a tale of struggle, redemption, passion and intensity.
Brooks reminds me of Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista when they first left wrestling. There is clear talent inside him, just beneath the surface, but he’ll have to do a little digging to find it. Prior to Girl on the Third Floor Brooks had starred in no feature films. However, he has found himself in this lead role, perfectly capable of leading the story, which is a testament to those talents lurking just beneath the surface. For a majority of Girl on the Third Floor Brooks is the only person present, leaving it almost entirely up to him to find success for the film. Again, while he’s not perfect, he is certainly adequate and keeps viewers on their edge of their seats.
The imagery and metaphor strewn throughout Girl on the Third Floor is impressive. It seems that nearly every moment contains foreshadowing or deeper meaning which requires viewers to pay very close attention. As director Travis Stevens gives the audience tidbits of information from beginning to end, they become more and more immersed in the twisted world of Don. They begin to feel his struggles and appreciate what he is going through as a result of subtle images and deep allegories. Girl on the Third Floor relies heavily on these aspects and the more Stevens supplies viewers with, the better they understand and recognize the brilliance of the story.
Even with the fantastic use of metaphor and imagery, there are moments throughout the film that are questionable. While the camerawork, for the most part, adds to the story, certain scenes use odd camera shots. Girl on the Third Floor presents a series of long shots and off-center shots that should lead to something but they ultimately seem to serve no purpose. While these failures within the cinematography do not happen often, it does compel viewers to question what director of cinematography Scott Thiele was thinking when gathering his crew and developing these scenes. These scenes certainly don’t ruin the film, but they antagonize viewers to the point of disappointment.
Girl on the Third Floor is unique in its approach. While similar to other horror/thrillers in the sense that it is cryptic in its message, keeping a character, Don, isolated throughout the entire film in the matter that it does leaves viewers feeling hopeless as well. Physical and emotional isolation is a technique that has been used forever, but the approach taken by Thiele, Stevens and the series of writers to make this isolation clear and idiosyncratic separates Girl on the Third Floor from other films of the genre. Brooks, while still new to the game, clearly possesses a talent that will find him success in the future; he just has to work to find it. His ability at this point in his career, however, is enough to allow viewers to appreciate the story and the subtle nuances of what Stevens attempts to accomplish. As a result of Brooks, and the few others that surround him in the film, Girl on the Third Floor entertains from beginning to end and opens the door for future successes among this cast and crew.
Directed by Travis Stevens. Written by Greg Newman, Trent Haaga, Ben Parker, Paul Johnstone & Travis Stevens. Starring Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, Karen Woditsch, Travis Delgado, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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