The plot tells the tale of a serial killer who has, so far, claimed ten different victims. Tying them together is the fact that each one of them was the subject of a painting created by the same artist just before they were murdered. When the artist himself is found dead, a French detective inadvertently teams up with an American art expert to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find the killer before he starts again. Things take an interesting turn, however, when more paintings, obviously done by a different artist, begin to turn up and our two would be crime busters find themselves deep in a strange world of sex and violence.

Nature Morte takes place in a world almost completely devoid of color. Everything is shrouded in darkness and shadow, there's very little light and at times this makes the movie hard to follow. While this was no doubt done on purpose, careful lighting would have allowed Burrows to let the story unfold in the bleak manner he was obviously going for without confusing the viewer by obscuring much of the picture. This could have been done intentionally, in fact, it's a safe bet that it was. Whether or not it was a stylistic choice or a convenient way to hide some budgetary restraints is debatable but it turns out to be a bit much at times and some restraint in this department would have gone a long way to help the film which is otherwise very well made.

As dark as the movie is, however, we can still follow it and the story proves to be a pretty interesting one. The plot toys with our preconceived notions of what a psychological thriller should be and how it should play out without sacrificing story. The performances are decent and believable enough to work even if no one here is going to take home an Oscar. The acting is certainly a few steps above most low budget productions, however, and the performers deserve some credit for their efforts.

Also worth noting is the eerie score courtesy of Steven Severin. A former member of Siouxsie And The Banshees, Severin does a very good job of accenting the sexier side of the picture with his score, and an equally admirable job of punctuating the more intense, horrific aspects of the story as well.

Nature Morte is a flawed film, to be sure, but Burrows shows promise with his debut feature and based on this inaugural effort, he could definitely go places especially if next time he remembers to turn on a light or two.

The English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track on this DVD is fine. It's perfectly audible and free of any hiss or distortion. The levels are well balanced and the ethereal and creepy score sounds quite nice.

A few other, less interesting supplements are also found. A promotional stills gallery is included as is a behind the scenes still gallery. Roughly six minutes of bloopers are presented as is the film's trailer. An advertisement for the film's soundtrack can be found as can trailers for a few other Redemption releases.