Door Mouse – A Strong Modern Neo-Noir

We don’t see too many neo-noirs out there anymore which is a shame. As with most stale subgenres, sometimes they just need new life breathed into them. Putting a stylish yet modern twist on the neo-noir, Door Mouse, the feature written and directorial debut of actor Avan Jogia, approaches the subgenre with an engaging tale. While not without its issues, it definitely shows promise and so much edge that it will be hard to not look away. Putting audiences right in the middle of a comic book, the world-building and characterization at play is arguably the best part but that being said, it is still a little rough at the edges. A gritty tale full of unsavory oddball characters, the film will ultimately live or die on the willingness of audiences to go on that journey. Although some may not get behind what it is trying to say, less can argue what is trying to do. Though there is plenty of potential here, the film offers merely a taste of it. At the end of the day, if anything can get through it, it’s the dynamic of Hayley Law and Keith Powers who should both be stars after this film.

Door Mouse follows a young woman named Mouse (Law), a comic book creator who also works as a dancer at a burlesque club in a seedy part of town run by a woman named Mama (Janssen). Looking to hone her craft as a comic book creator and move away from burlesque dancing, she was more than able to take care of herself guided by her street smarts in spite of the sense of dread she felt on a near-daily basis. In her neighborhood, she and others had no one else and had to count on each other as the police were historically nonexistent. As other young women at the club start disappearing. Mouse took matters into her own hands and set out to investigate the disappearances with her friend Ugly (Powers) who was an enigma of his own. Little did they know, their investigation would take them even deeper into a much darker world than they bargained for, uncovering corruption and other various unsavory activity along the way. Almost certainly in over their heads, they were driven by sheer determination though when it came to Ugly, there appeared to be something more to it.

Through their shared adversity, Mouse and Ugly learned more about themselves and each other as they found themselves in the crosshairs of the forces looking to keep the system that has enabled their illegal activities running. On the periphery of that system for most of the film, Door Mouse takes a turn as the tension ratchets up once the two found themselves right in it. As the film built the world around Mouse and Ugly and put the pieces on the table, watching them come together was exciting to watch and earned on a character development level. Mouse makes for a strong antagonist as she truly comes into her own in caring for her friends and trying to make a difference in the world when no one else would. A sidekick of sorts, Ugly was there to support her but the stakes for him were just as high. Meanwhile, their saga looked to be the inspiration Mouse needed to get her big break as the line between real life and a comic book became blurry as certain sequences over the course of the film were animated like a comic book. Regardless, as far as she was concerned, she wasn’t leaving until the job was done. Where the film faltered, albeit slightly, is how it wraps up.

As mentioned, the best part of Door Mouse was the stellar performances of Law and Powers as Mouse and Ugly, aided by an impressive script. Law was an absolute force of nature that would not be denied. Despite being incredibly flawed, she was an easy character to get behind and connect on a deeper emotional level once the film truly gets going. Law was compelling to watch as she absolutely takes charge in a way that perhaps requires a leap because of that slow start. However, she needed Powers’ Ugly which was just a nickname for the character not because he was ugly. He was such a good guy that he was called ugly. A strong but silent time, it was also a delight to watch him come out of his shell. Though having to say so much while saying so little was a tough balancing act, he handled it well and having to be more vulnerable later on was a real testament to his range.

In the end, Door Mouse was a nice surprise and is worth checking out for anyone looking for something different.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.