Two sociopath lesbians Wanda (Nina Angeloff) and Pearle (Lori Scarlett), seduce men in bars in order to murder and rob them. This isn’t enough to sustain their income so Wanda turns tricks on the side. One night after attending a melodramatic lesbian-themed play, Pearle gets the notion that her biological clock is ticking. Although Wanda is incredulous at the suggestion, she agrees to help Pearle find a suitable mate. After Pearle is impregnated by a nerd who works at the local library, the two live off of welfare and Wanda goes back to hooking. One day, Wanda is picked up by Howard (Ian Maclennan) for some very pricey S&M but things get ugly when he reveals that he wants her to play by his rules.

Mark Steven Bosko and Wayne A. Harold, the two responsible for the Killer Nerd films, direct this kinky and dirty flick. The editing is very tight and the soundtrack is quite good. Loaded with filthy dialogue and some awkward acting, Girlfriends is funny as hell (mostly intentional I think). Nina Angeloff and Lori Scarlett’s performances are awe inspiring in that they are completely devoted to their characters. Marc Wilt is very good as Gil, the racist furniture salesman, whose path crosses with the murderous duo.

Girlfriends wraps up much too early and the ending feels a tad rushed. I’m going to pay this one my highest compliment: I can’t help but wish this film had been a bit longer. Even with the frightfully low budget and some painful acting (watch Howard "The Freak" stumble over his lines), I really enjoyed this indie flick. The cynical and sardonic vision of life is quite good. Dig the hilarious play put on by the inept lesbian theatre troupe.

Girlfriends is caught somewhere between the terrifying Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and the award-winning Monster or maybe not at all. This exploitative and unapologetic indie film is a strange little time capsule of the early 1990s. Back when it was all too easy to offend audiences, Girlfriends goes above and beyond to get un-politically correct as all hell. Clearly inspired by John Waters and other purveyors of trashy cinema, this shot-on-video gem is a prime example of how indie filmmaking should be.

DVD Stuff

Girlfriends was shot video so it looks as good as it can on this Tempe DVD. Sound levels are fine and dialogue is easy to hear. There are a ton of trailers for Tempe Video and Lurid Entertainment. There is a cool behind the scenes feature that contains a set of interviews with the cast, director, and even a short interview with the real-life owner of the bar where Wanda and Pearle go dancing. There is also a short film called 12 AM and two trailers for Girlfriends.