Yes, this is part of my Going In Blind series, because IFC Films and the concept of accessible screeners is a mystery so great only Jessica Fletcher could possibly hope to solve it. But,I was submitted for my approval an advance copy of 100 Nights of Hero, which of course didn’t have audio description. In the time since, i watched it a second time just for refreshing and clarification. That’s probably the best debate for screeners versus theatrical, is that most come with the ability to view a few times, so if you’ve got questions, a second pass is much quicker than a jaunt to the theater.

In Julia Jackman’s 100 Days Of hero, if you were to watch without audio description (which is a distinct possibility since AMC Plus has an aversion to hosting their own audio description tracks), you’d probably do better than you might think. The film is just a lot of storytelling. it’s like 3000 Years Of Longing, where there is a primary but also a secondary story being told to the primary. All of this follows some absurd world building beginning about how the daughter/wife/whatever of Birdman created humans and watched over them with Birdman promising to not interfere, until he does… and now we’re lost in the weeds. the preamble here means nothing, and ties only a little into Hero’s (Emma corrin) backstory. The core story is enough, as poor Cherry (Mika Monroe) is married to a narcissist who can’t seem to get her pregnant, despite a proclamation that she must be within the next 101 nights.

So, the husband goes on vacation and leaves his womanizing buddy (Nicholas Galitzin) in charge of his castle. they make a wager, essentially over Cherry’s virtue.

But, every time rico Suave tries to make a move, Hero appears with a distraction. This is where we hear the secondary story being told, and where fans of Charli XCX will rejoice in her big bold acting debut.She’s definitely not the star, but Taylor Swift also wasn’t the star of Cats. sometimes, the breakout role is a supporting one.

Watching it twice it did feel like more storytelling than necessary.But, I also lacked the audio description track. This affected all the ways a man might try and woo a woman, or the chemistry between two people. I couldn’t figure out what was going on with cherry’s husband and why he’s unwilling to partake.

Felicity Jones and Richard E Grant appear in smaller roles, but the star here is Emma Corrin, who is still trying to build her clout, and get the roles that could guide her to more critical acclaim, and perhaps an Oscar nomination one day. it’s too bad she’s relying on a somewhat confusing and convoluted script.

the cast makes it work, and the brief runtime is a blessing. I liked it both times I saw it, but I’ll admit not everyone will. The closest comps I can come up with are the aforementioned 3000 Years of Longing and the lifeless In The Lost Lands from earlier in the year.

While I would appreciate if IFC and their reps actually give me accessible screeners, it isn’t the film’s fault. While nowhere near as strong as their Spirit award nominated The Plague, this was a fun diversion for Oscar season if you embrace all the flaws.

I’d rather spend 100 Nights With Hero than five with Freddy.

fresh: Final Grade: 6.5/10