Somewhere in New York City is someone (me) taken completely aback by the out-of-the-blue arrival of indie romantic action comedy, Artist Unknown, on Amazon Prime Video. Indeed Film Combat Syndicate was one of the lucky ones to get a chance and screen it outside from its festival circuitry and you can believe it’s a hearty, poignant little debut from an up-and-coming filmmaker with her first foray in the chair after years of climbing the entertainment ladder and wearing multiple hats on different productions.
That’s the multi-faceted Chou for you, who directs from her own script a cast led by Kerry Lacy, Sam Jaikaran, and Sonia Mena, for the story of a struggling assistant MMA coach whose spur-of-the-moment purchase of a thrift store painting unravels a mystery far greater beyond the stroke of a brush when a chance romance ensues thereafter. The film is also just one of a few projects I’ve seen Lacy featured in, with this being a first in the feature front after catching her in action with a pair of snackable self-defense shortfilm thrillers in Stacey Maltin’s Viola, and Don Downie’s Viola 2.
Artist Unknown also stars Daryl Lathon and Walker Hare with action sequences assembled by co-star and fight choreographer Francesca Morabito, for a hearty lo-fi New York indie romp that gets to the heart of the matter in ways that make Chou a talent to keep an eye out for.
Catch the trailer below via Indie Rights, and rent or buy the movie right now on Prime Video, or wherever movies are sold or streamed upon availability. My review is here for good measure, and be sure to tune in to the latest Fights With Friends Podcast episode where Chou and Lacy talk all things Artist Unknown and more with hosts Stephen Koepfer and Paul Varacchi in the player just beneath!
