I May Regret

There's a magic in simplicity, especially in film. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Stick to a single idea and work on it until it's perfect. As in life, rules are meant to be broken, and it is the rare filmmaker that can masterfully intertwine three distinct ideas into a single narrative and produce a piece of brilliance. This is true for writer/director Graham Streeter and his film I May Regret. His story takes on the issues of dementia in seniors, providing a lens into the care of and living with the disorder. While tackling that thorny subject, he casts light on elder abuse/neglect and euthanasia. I May Regret is a character-driven story. Denise Dorado and Lisa Goodman are the stars, and any wavering in their performance would have sunk the entire production. As Ruth, Goodman's performance is authentic and rarely feels like someone pretending to have late-stage dementia. Dorado's May is complex as the gold digger set to exploit and steal, but her intentions turn to a deep concern with Ruth's well-being. The ending hits you hard ripping out the single thread that holds this tapestry together, that's all I'll say about the ending. There are plenty of films and straight-to-VOD films about elder-care and how it changes the heart of the star, but I May Regret takes the familiar plot to new places. This is not an after school special by any stretch of the imagination; it's a straight-up thriller. The subtle brilliance in Graham Streeter's I May Regret is his ability to draw you deep into his story and give you a sense of what it might be like to have dementia, without you ever knowing it. In an upcoming Film Threat interview with Streeter, he discusses how karma in a way is interwoven into the experience of dementia and how it serves as a plot in his narrative.