Content Advisory: Suicide
A pop singer seeks the help of a private detective to locate her mother in purgatory in Purgatory Jack. After a suicide attempt, pop star Viv Vacious (Alexandra Beaton) finds herself in the decrepit land of Purgatory, where lost souls wander and barter for spare body parts from the likes of Flo (Emily Alatalo) and Plater (Joel Thomas Hynes). Viv is guided by Jack Marlin (Tim Rozon), a jazz musician in life, who now works as a private detective. When Viv learns that her mom Grace (Lora Burke) might still be in Purgatory, Jack reluctantly tries to help her out.
Purgatory Jack Synopsis
Purgatory Jack is a darkly comic thriller written and directed by The Butler Brothers, Brett M. Butler and Jason G. Butler (Mourning Has Broken, First Round Down). The film stars Jim Rozon (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) as the titular private detective Jack Marlin, who is guiding the “goldie” Viv Vacious through Purgatory. Viv’s greatest danger is the Dead Heads led by Plater, who wants to harvest her still-living body parts and blood for a body shop under the control of the very surgically enhanced Flo, played by Emily Alatalo (The Breach).
My Thoughts on Purgatory Jack
While the plot of Purgatory Jack does eventually come together, the film is filled with a lot of weird diversions, often accompanied by needle drops by the 1980s rock band Rough Trade. These diversions include the “OMG Body Sisters” of Boop (Ruthie Nkut) and Page (Lexie Mitchell), an elderly motel proprietor couple wearing nooses, and a townie cult. It isn’t until the film delves into Jack’s backstory that the connective tissue between all the main characters is revealed. This includes Lora Burke (Poor Agnes, Lifechanger, For the Sake of Vicious) as female gang leader Grace, whose role in Purgatory Jack is sadly primarily relegated to the final act.