The devastating indie drama Inez & Doug & Kira opens with a couple, Doug (Michael Chernus) and Kira (Thalia Thiesfield), facing the recent suicide of Kira’s sister Inez (Tawny Cypress). We learn the back story through flashbacks. Doug tries to peel back the past and slips into obsession.
Who was Inez and why did she kill herself? What is up with Doug? What is up with Kira?
I’ve loved watching Chernus since I first noticed him in Higher Ground, and Chernus is the reason that I screened this movie (and I’m glad that I did). Cypress has the showiest role, but she knocks it out of the park – Inez is sexy, needy, domineering, manipulative and a red hot mess.
Inez & Doug & Kira is the first feature for writer-director Julia Kots, and it’s a very promising debut.
Cinequest hosts the Bay Area premiere of Inez & Doug & Kira, and I understand that the Cinequest audience will be only the second, after the Woodstock Film Festival, to see this film.
UPDATE: Now streaming on Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.