The Girl in the River

Maybe Amelia Pembrook and Will Trent could meet at a conference. It could happen, if their fictional worlds ever intersect, since she works for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, while Trent serves its Georgia counterpart. The state bureaus might be enjoying some pop culture attention, but nobody will enjoy the case that brings her to Canton, a small Mississippi town that “will surprise visitors in all the worst ways.” It also happens to be her first field assignment in director-screenwriter Brando Benetton’s The Girl in the River, which releases tomorrow in theaters and on VOD.

Pembrook is considered a brilliant instructor at the MBI academy, but the Bureau director, Erica Graysmith, must push, shove, and even threaten to fire her before she finally agrees to investigate in the field. Her partner is certainly experienced—possibly too experienced. Alan Kramer inadvertently attained John “Mindhunter” Douglas-like prominence, but the tragic death of his young son left him a shell of his former self.

Kramer wants to retire, but Graysmith needs him to solve the case of the abducted Otto twins, Anna and Greta. The body of one was recovered from the river, but the other is still of assumed a captive of their kidnapper. The crime itself has outraged the community, but their wealthy grandfather Arthur’s political connections put added pressure on Graysmith.

Shot on location in Canton, Jackson, and Vicksburg, Girl in the River soaks up the local vibe quite nicely. It is rather refreshing to see a film largely set outside the major urban areas that isn’t yet another smalltown Hallmark romance. Unfortunately, the mystery is disappointingly simplistic. Anyone who hasn’t cracked the case halfway through might be tempted to buy the bridge the body was dumped off.

It is shame, because Benetton pulled off some interesting casting. Tiffany Hadish is surprisingly successful playing it almost entirely straight as Graysmith, the canny cop and administrator. It is weirdly nostalgic to see Andrew Stevens, the star of several 1970s miniseries and the 1990s Night Eyes franchise, appearing as distraught old man Otto (and also producing). As a bonus, Devon Sawa convincingly broods as haggard Kramer.

Unfortunately, the character of Pembrook and Maggie Grace’s portrayal completely lack consistency. First, she is too timid to work in the field, but then twenty minutes later, Pembrook is going rogue, violating all kinds laws and Constitutional protections. It is also disappointing that Ralph Macchio spends most of the film hovering over an autopsy table as Dr. Colin Ripley.

As the home of Faulkner, Welty, and Grisham, Mississippi has plenty of stories to tell and some of them could very well feature the MBI. However, Benetton does not do the state justice—even though cinematographer David Matthews makes the most of the local landmarks, particularly the titular bridge. The mystery simply is not mysterious enough to recommend The Girl in the River when it releases tomorrow (9/4) in theaters and on VOD.