Rule of 3 (2008)

Rule of 3
Directed By: Eric Shapiro
Written and Produced by: Rhoda Jordan and Eric Shapiro
Featuring: Rhoda Jordan, Tiffany Shepis, Parry Shen, Ben Siegler, Rodney Eastman, Lee Schall, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Inger Tudor, Cary Woodworth, Parry Shen
2008

The first thing you need to know about Rule of 3, which is hitting film festival everywhereright now and later this year, is that it is not a gory rape fest despite being about a girl in a motel room and having men plot a woman's rape. In fact, calling it 'horror' is a stretch. More like Memento, but less confusing, Rule of 3 has behind it a powerhouse of a woman in Rhoda Jordan (you may have seen her in Death Factory, Aquanoids, or The Mummy's Kiss) who co-wrote, produced, and stars in this demented, but believable, account of a young woman's disappearance. The second thing you need to know is that really hot Asian actor Parry Shen (The Hazing, Hatchet, Shrieker) is in it. Third thing? It's really good…Rhoda Jordan and Eric Shapiro have written - nay, crafted - a gorgeously well-written script that defies traditional examples of popular horror films. No Prom Night and supermodel teenagers for these guys. They really want to scare you. These two have recently optioned a Jack Ketchum story, Right to Life, which is right up their alley; that alley being relatable people in awful but realistic situations.Coupled with Eric Shapiro's great direction and some very intense performances, Rule of 3 is so smooth and unpredictable that you'll be riveted by unfolding events.

Ben Sigler and Inger Tudor as grieving parents

Rhoda Jordan stars as Lorraine 'Lo', a young college grad who is staying in a motel with her boyfriend Jake (Cary Woodworth), a young and sexually adventurous young man who desperately wants to have a threesome. Lo and Jake agree that they want to have sex with another woman, and proceed to call up several people until finally Jake pushes to call his old high school friend Dana (Tiffany Shepis). Dana is willing to come over. Lo pushes aside her insecurities and decides to throw caution to the wind, even though she has some uneasiness.
Earlier in the evening in the same motel room, a nervous man (Lee Schall) waits patiently for his drug dealer to arrive. He is Brian, a lonely guy who wants to slip a friend a roofie to 'relax' her when she meets him in his room. When drug-carrying Russ (Rodney Eastman) finally arrives, he finds he can easily dominate Brian's personality and forces him to let Russ stay in the room while he waits for Sara (Cerris Morgan-Moyer). Russ refuses to let Brian have the drugs unless he also lets Russ have sex with Sara.

Sara (Cerris Morgan-Moyer, who also executive produced)

But while all this is going on, we also see glimpses into the future - two weeks after everything at the motel has happened. Lo has been missing ever since. Her parents (Inger Tudor and Ben Sigler) are devastated by their loss and frustrated at the lack of information from the police. Jon, Lo's father, decides to take things into his own hands when he goes back to the motel to look for clues. There, with the hotel clerk (Parry Shen) he tries desperately to piece together what happened. Only, when he finally knows he realizes he can never tell anyone, ever.

At this point you'll be hooked so far into the film you'll be desperate to know what happened to Lo and how everyone else is involved. There'll be no escaping it. While the movie isn't fast-moving (there is LOTS of character development) it isn't slow and you won't feel like your time is wasted or that any of it is filler. Tiffany Shepis is an outgoing Dana, while Ben Siegler and Rodney Eastman are giving Cannes-worthy performances as Jon and Russ respectively.The time-sequence changes are used to make the story more interesting rather than for Pulp Fiction purposes. Rhoda Jordan's naturalness goes a long way to make Rule of 3 a believable piece of work, as does the unfettered rawness of the script and the direction.

Rodney Eastman as Russ the drug dealer

The rule of 3: the idea that things that happen in threes are more effective and create a better literary progression is, of course, behind the storyline at all times. Rule of 3 gives us a few options as to what the actual '3' events are. There's three obvious moments that seem to fulfill the tenet of the rule of 3. But there are also 3 women who enter that motel room. It's open to discussion. It's interesting and it is effective. The film also isn't so much about Lo's terror as it is about many different kinds of fears; the fear of being alone; the fear of being in a bad relationship; the fear of having to hide a murder; and the fear of watching terrible things happen to the people you love and standing by, helpless. Rule of 3 pays homage to no one and makes no excuses for anything. Rule of 3 is one of those rare cases where less is more, and more is not in the budget anyway.