"Her Last Will" is a crackling good yarn about family dysfunction, which turns quickly into dark comedy. Three nasty children of a wealthy philanthropist, Dina Cotton, conceive a diabolical plan to drive their mother insane and thereby prevent her from donating her fortune the local philharmonic society.
The three heirs include an inebriated Iona, the soft male Harold, and the major schemer Gill. The most interesting character in the film is Margaret (Maggie), the ex-Iraq War vet who had been dishonorably discharged after her participation in the Abu Gharib atrocity. Maggie is struggling to get her life in order after a string of run-ins with the law and her ill-starred military career.
Maggie has made great strides in her recovery, due mainly to the support she received from a kind woman running a half-way house. But the temptation is too great to make a bundle paid by the heirs to mastermind driving Dina batty. It turns out, however, the Maggie has a change of heart, and the home stretch of the film is her improvised plan to turn the tables on the three snarky heirs.
The acting was first-rate, and there were invariably moments of the dark humor and clever twists. It was especially the revelation about Maggie's birthright that was the surprise of the film. The screenplay was lively and creative. There were also inventive special effects in giving the impression that the deceased Vietnam War vet Tony Picuirro, the love of Dina's life, had come back from the grave. Still, the film belonged to Maggie for the see-saw development of a character with a conscience.
The three heirs include an inebriated Iona, the soft male Harold, and the major schemer Gill. The most interesting character in the film is Margaret (Maggie), the ex-Iraq War vet who had been dishonorably discharged after her participation in the Abu Gharib atrocity. Maggie is struggling to get her life in order after a string of run-ins with the law and her ill-starred military career.
Maggie has made great strides in her recovery, due mainly to the support she received from a kind woman running a half-way house. But the temptation is too great to make a bundle paid by the heirs to mastermind driving Dina batty. It turns out, however, the Maggie has a change of heart, and the home stretch of the film is her improvised plan to turn the tables on the three snarky heirs.
The acting was first-rate, and there were invariably moments of the dark humor and clever twists. It was especially the revelation about Maggie's birthright that was the surprise of the film. The screenplay was lively and creative. There were also inventive special effects in giving the impression that the deceased Vietnam War vet Tony Picuirro, the love of Dina's life, had come back from the grave. Still, the film belonged to Maggie for the see-saw development of a character with a conscience.