plug: Mosaic (2017)
Who killed Olivia Lake?
Welcome to today’s plug, a quick recommendation of an oft-forgotten film, cult classic, or movie that is dying to be rewatched // We send plugs every Tuesday + Thursday //
Because Steven Soderbergh is allergic to straightforwardly doing genre pieces, Mosaic is a murder mystery that was initially released in 2017 as an interactive film where you could map out the order in which you view the story. This was a year before Netflix and Black Mirror’s interactive experiment, Bandersnatch.
The story revolves around the murder of Olivia Lake (Sharon Stone), a wealthy children’s book author and illustrator in Park City, Utah, and the people closest to her the night of her disappearance. The two most obvious suspects are the two men leaching off her wealth, Eric (Frederick Weller), a con man hired to seduce her, and Joel (Garrett Hedlund), an aspiring artist with a drinking problem.
“Men, every goddamn one of them that I invite into my house … just a bunch of fucking liars and con men and … fucking violent,” Olivia laments on a voicemail to her friend JC (delightfully played by Paul Reubens) just moments before her apparent murder.
But, as you might have guessed, Mosaic isn’t interested in the obvious. Four years after her murder, the case reopens, and Soderbergh’s dynamic ensemble gets to work solving the mystery. Strange motives reveal themselves, alibis shift and vanish with each recounting until no one seems innocent, making Mosaic a sleek and evocative watch.
The app and web version of the interactive story were removed from existence so you’ll have to settle for just the series on HBO Max.
If you liked this post, please hit the heart button below! // It helps us reach more readers on Substack // Also, tell a film-loving friend to subscribe.
Follow me on Twitter // Read more of my writing: nicjuarez.com