A Chicago production that’s on Amazon Prime this week after a brief festival run and limited release back in February, “100 Days to Live” gets over some sketchy writing through sheer momentum and the power of a charismatic performance from its leading lady. Potential viewers should be warned that suicide is a main theme of this thriller that was shot by entrepreneur Ravin Gandhi in and around the beautiful city of Chicago (and even largely in Gandhi’s own apartment). It’s a traditional thriller with a twist, subverting genre roles and presenting a very specific kind of sociopath, one whose brain was broken by trauma. It’s not perfect but it offers a quick-paced escapism that makes me wonder what Gandhi might do with more time and money.
CST
Cinedigm presents a film written and directed by Ravin Gandhi. No MPAA rating. Running time: 87 minutes. Available Tuesday on demand. In Millennium Park, a middle-aged woman is enjoying the beautiful day and the idyllic scenery and that’s the last anyone sees of her. Someone is snatching people from the streets of Chicago, each time leaving an ornate photo album with a cover naming the victim and a proclaiming their salvation, e.g., “Tanya Was Saved.” This is the intriguing premise of the filmed-in-Chicago psychological thriller “100 Days to Live.” Although sometimes convoluted and occasionally implausible, this is a well-filmed and ambitiously creative first effort from writer-producer-director Ravin Gandhi, an entrepreneur and the CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings, which is not your typical resume for an aspiring filmmaker but kudos to Gandhi for following his movie dreams and turning in an impressive debut.