His Deadly Affair (2019 Lifetime)
Cast: Helena Mattsson, Gina Holden
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Violinist Danielle Turner returns to her hometown for her final show of the tour. While home she sets out to repair her relationship with her sister, Heidi, but Danielle’s dream boyfriend, James, the Conductor of the Orchestra, has a dangerous and obsessive wife, who is waiting to extract her vengeance on Danielle.
Thoughts
Oh, boy, here we go! We get shots of instruments being played that do not correlate with the sound we are hearing. Then we see a conductor madly waving his arms. It is truly hilarious.
Cut to the conductor having an affair — lots of thrusting and back grabbing here. The woman is a first-year player and attempting to get a leg up on the competition. The conductor leaves, and the woman takes a shower. The conductor’s wife sneaks into the house and finds an engraved bracelet with the name Jessica. It is the exact same bracelet she has, except her name isn’t Jessica, OK! The wife shoots Jessica while screaming, “HE IS MY HUSBAND!” (R.I.P. Jessica. Maybe you should have just taken some piano lessons.)
Danielle is a beautiful blonde lady who gets an opportunity to join the orchestra. It is the philandering conductor’s orchestra, and he is having an affair with Danielle a year later. He makes empty promises to her and gives her an engraved bracelet with her name on it. I was hoping Danielle would be smarter than this, how disappointing. She has an estranged relationship with her sister, Heidi, and attempts to make amends by inviting her to the orchestra. The conductor, James, is also trying to get to know Heidi and matches her on a dating app.
Heidi is surprised to learn Danielle is in town, and the sisters make up. Danielle even lets her borrow her conductor bracelet, which is probably a BIG mistake. Huge.
James comes home to his wife, Victoria, and they have some sexy time. She has been on a psych evaluation and maybe trial for murder? In either case, she doesn’t seem too worried and is off her medication. The wife is in a better place; it looks. Well, until she goes through James’ briefcase and finds divorce papers and a message from Heidi on the dating app.
The concert happens and it is as hilarious as the first time. Heidi is seated next to Victoria, and it is awkward. I’m surprised Victoria didn’t pull out a gun and shoot her right there. It turns out she is a detective, and that must be how she is not in jail. When Heidi goes to the restroom, Victoria blackmails her date, Matthew. (Who has a criminal record and will now do whatever Victoria has planned.) Which is beating a kidnapping, Heidi?!?!?
After the show, Danielle catches James fucking another musician in a bathroom stall. She storms off and then slaps him in the middle of a bar calling him a “cheating pig.” The next morning Danielle calls her sister and stops by her house. She can’t get a hold of her. The neighbor Ray was running by and found Heidi’s phone in the yard. He gives it to Danielle, who notices blood on the sidewalk.
Victoria and Matthew have Heidi tied up to the bed and blindfolded. They realize that Heidi’s phone isn’t with her, and Danielle has it. Victoria does a quick google search and realizes her mistake. (All this is done with non-verbal acting by Gina Holden, who is an outstanding actress.) Victoria goes over to Danielle’s house and pretends to be the detective on Heidi’s missing person case. Victoria is about to stab Danielle but is interrupted by Ray knocking on the door. He was trying to unlock Heidi’s phone. Victoria takes the phone for “evidence” and leaves her card.
Danielle and Ray look at Heidi’s dating profile and match with Matthew. They message him and met up. Danielle goes inside while Ray stays in the car. The house is creepy, and Matthew is even creepier. (I thought he was cute at first and now I’m not into it.) Danielle knows something is up and frantically searches through the house for her sister as Matthew chases her. Danielle escapes and is visibly shaken.
Meanwhile, Heidi comes to, and Victoria gives her water. She takes off the blindfold and waterboards her until she unlocks her phone. Victora messages her husband as Heidi and set up a meeting. Victora is upset with Matthew’s encounter with Danielle and holds a gun to his head while saying, “I own you.” (DAYUM!) Heidi is self-reliant and struggles to get out of her bindings successfully.
Danielle is still a mess. She cries while driving and then falls asleep at the wheel. Then she cries while eating a meal with Ray. When Danielle tells Victora that Matthew most likely took her sister, Victora tells her that he isn’t their guy.
Matthew isn’t anyone’s guys. While watching Heidi, he takes a shower and then comes out shirtless (which generally I’m into, here I am NOT.) and starts caressing Heidi’s body. (Very creepy.) She begs him to untie her, but little does he know she is already untiled. Heidi seduces him and then hits him in the head with a lamp, the key to unlock herself in just out of reach. Her phone is also updating, which is soooo annoying.
Danielle is starting to piece things together and confronts James. He denies everything. Victoria has access to James’ car from an app on her phone and starts the car and closes the garage, almost killing them both from carbon monoxide poisoning. Danielle breaks free, and James tells her to leave and never come back. (Like somehow all this is her fault?) As she is going, Danielle gets a call from Heidi, who sends the location pin.
Ray makes a break on the case and runs to the station. The police are surprised to learn they have been working with Victora because she was suspended for tampering with evidence.
Danielle arrives at the location and is surprised to see Victoria there holding James and Heidi at gunpoint. Victora screams and grabs Danielle by her hair. She shoots James, and a struggle happens. Victoria almost strangles Danielle to death, but Heidi saves her. The police arrive just in time and take Victoria away.
The sisters are safe, and Ray is waiting for them outside. He kisses Danielle (which is terrible timing, dude.) Danielle and Heidi talk about Ray and how Danielle should date him? WTF is happening. Bechdel test fail.
Side Note
Minority Report: Police Officer
Also known as The Past Never Dies.
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Overall rating
🔪🔪 🔪🔪 (4 Knives)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Lifetime
I thought Mathew looked like Tom Brady when he was in college.
What is Matthews real name
Matthew is played by Cameron Radice.
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You forgot to list Jessica in the minority report, even though she wasn’t a main character I thought that was a big difference from what we usually see in these movies (not that having an affair with a barely attractive old dude and the first to get murdered is the best role for a black female on lifetime).
Thank you, Jade! A+ comment