The Big Picture

The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer
is a dark comedy about a writer who seeks inspiration from a serial killer, blending humor and thriller elements.
Britt Lower’s performance as Suzie adds depth to the “disapproving wife” trope, making her character scarier than the supposed serial killer.
Director Tolga Karaçelik’s unique storytelling and editing, along with the actors’ performances, create a captivating and entertaining film.

With one of the longest titles a film is ever likely to have, The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer, is, in a single word, uproarious. This, of course, is counterintuitive, not only given the film’s name and storyline, but from its overall appearance, which is, for the majority of its runtime, quite bleak. The movie’s writer and director, Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik, creates a laugh-out-loud film paired with dark subject matter such as murder, divorce, and kidnapping. Itstars Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Britt Lower as three very unlikely collaborators in what ends up being the funniest, and most violent, marriage counseling session you’ll ever witness. The film’s dazzling writing, directing, and editing, in conjunction with the outstanding performances and undeniable chemistry between each of its leads, makes The Shallow Tale one you’ll want to watch again and again.

What Is ‘The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer’ About?
The Shallow Tale follows the story of Keane (Magaro), a writer who is much less successful than he believes and is so trapped in his fear of publishing a second book that he’s been working on his follow-up novel for the last four years. This process has been agonizingly long for Keane’s unhappy wife, Suzie (Lower), as she loses her patience waiting for her husband to be the inquisitive man she fell in love with back in college. When Suzie asks Keane for a divorce, citing Keane’s reliance on her for everything from income to the tiniest bits of decision-making, he is put in an extremely vulnerable position, the timing of which pairs perfectly with his meet-cute with Kollmick (Buscemi).

When Kollmick introduces himself to Keane in a shabby Manhattan diner, he unrelentingly suggests that Keane write his next book about a retired serial killer. While it’s clear that Kollmick is referring to himself, Keane is so self-absorbed in his own ideas that he can’t see what’s standing right in front of him. It’s not until the pair’s second meeting in a dingy bar right after Suzie has declared her desire for a divorce that Keane takes Kollmick up on his offer, willing to do anything to prove his wife wrong about his ability to take charge and make difficult decisions.

When an intoxicated Keane takes Kollmick back to his house in the middle of the night and wakes Suzie up in the process, Kollmick is mistaken for a marriage counselor. Suzie, impressed with her husband’s sudden initiative, agrees to the counseling sessions with this wide-eyed stranger. Thus, Kollmick becomes Keane and Suzie’s therapist by day and Keane’s serial killer information center at night, creating an absurd and compelling set-up that continually pays off for the remainder of the film.

Britt Lower Gives a Show-Stopping Performance
Image via Cinegryphon Entertainment.

From the moment Britt Lower’s Suzie is shown in the film’s opening scene, an awkward dinner party where she is endlessly embarrassed by her husband, it is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of her. A professional organizer with firm opinions and an itch to murder her husband, Suzie is a more frightening character than the man who says he is a serial killer. This inherent scariness makes Suzie’s agreement to go along with the completely unorthodox methods of “marriage counseling” suggested by the unbelievably unqualified Kollmick all the more fascinating, as her compliance is just as unexpected as the marriage counseling itself.

The “disapproving wife” is a part that’s been played out many times, but rarely with as much depth as Lower brings to the role. When Suzie becomes suspicious of Keane’s motives and starts to follow his actions more closely, Lower’s performance shifts in a way that all-so-subtly suggests that this alteration in her husband’s demeanor isn’t just alarming for her, but enjoyable. It would be an easy out for an actor to make Suzie simply one-note and impenetrable, but it’s the little idiosyncrasies that Lower has gifted this character with that hint at so much more beneath her hard exterior. From her signature blunt bangs to her endlessly disapproving looks at her uninspired husband, you’ll find yourself wondering what Suzie is up to when she’s missing from a scene.

Karaçelik’s Direction Adds to the Film’s Storytelling in Unexpected Ways
Image via Cinegryphon Entertainment.

With great performances by Buscemi, Magaro, and Lower, The Shallow Tale could’ve easily fallen back on their work alone; however, Karaçelik’s direction, alongside Evren Lus’s editing, adds an impressive additional layer of intelligent humor. Jump cuts to moments like Suzie’s death stares, a llama in a bar, and Kollmick’s taxidermied cat, are laugh-out-loud funny before any context is given, providing an element of physical humor that is largely lost in many of today’s comedies. It feels rare to spend long pauses focused on the humor of a man in fuzzy slippers being silently carried into a motel, but Karaçelik is willing to take those chances again and again throughout his movie, and they land each and every time.

However, Karaçelik doesn’t forget that The Shallow Tale is also a thriller. Sprinkled in alongside the humorous shots are ones that are long, drawn out, and foreboding, reminiscent of director Stanley Kubrick’s achievements in the horror classic, The Shining. Karaçelik is able to marry the heart-pounding chaos of chasing a car through the moonlit streets of Chinatown with the wacky spectacle of Keane accidentally knocking out a gun dealer with chloroform he spilled on his thighs in a way that results in a seamless viewing experience for the audience.

Buscemi’s Kollmick Is Left To The Imagination
Image via Cinegryphon Entertainment.

Buscemi’s delightfully fun portrayal of Kollmick, coupled with the large amount of time he’s on-screen, makes the little we actually learn about the character a bit of a letdown. It’s important to note that throughout the film, Kollmick is a self-proclaimed serial killer, with no actual evidence that this dark past is, in fact, true. More than that, Kollmick’s fascination with books about things like performing autopsies and How to Get Away With Murder could insinuate that he is simply a quirky man with an obsession for serial killers and not an actual murderer. Having more background on Kollmick, or perhaps even a single knowing glance at him from a member of law enforcement, would be enough to make the audience understand that there is a whole world behind Kollmick that we can only begin to imagine.

This lack of information, however, could be exactly what Karaçelick is hinting at in the beginning of the film’s title, A Shallow Tale. These three words seem to be a nod to the audience that Kollmick’s side of the story won’t run very deep; in fact, the most telling scene about him could be the one in which we meet his dead cat, who he seems to care for quite a lot, given his recollection of the exact car the driver was in when they hit her. More than that, the mystery surrounding the bewitching Kollmick is also what will start a conversation among the audience and make them want to revisit the film, as another look could bring light to telling details they missed the first time around.

Whether or not you view Kollmick’s missing backstory as lacking or perfectly appropriate, A Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer is an inventive film that isn’t afraid to take risks, utilizing sharp writing, direction, and three brilliant actors to tell the most absurd and entertaining of stories. While most movies have a particular section reserved for fun and games, Karaçelik’s tale is engaging in its entirety, with captivating performances from its cast that will make parting ways with Keane, Suzie, and Kollmick a difficult thing to do.

REVIEW The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer (2024) The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer has a mouthful of a title, but it’s also an uproarious dark comedy that takes some big swings.ProsThe acting of the three lead cast members is impeccable.Director Tolga Karaçelik’s writing and directing make the film laugh-out-loud funny.Britt Lower gives a show-stealing performance as Suzie. ConsBuscemi is so delightful as Kollmick that it leaves the audience wanting to know more about the mysterious stranger.

The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer had its World Premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.