In a backwoods Australian town, Marilyn (Haig) works in a seedy bar with her friends Holly and Annie (Dillon and Miller). Their sleazy boss Slim (Holmes) has hired a Croatian cowboy hitman (Shevtsov) to settle a debt with an old friend, but things take a blackly comical twist when the cowboy stumbles into Marilyn's big romantic night with her soon-to-be fiance (Barclay). Suddenly both Slim's plan and the cowboy's twisted counterplot converge on poor Marilyn, alone in her rambling country house.

Writer-director China has clearly watched the Coen brothers' films in minute detail, drawing elements specifically from Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men into this movie, along with a very heavy dose of Kubrick's The Shining. But as well-executed as these stylish touches are, there's not really anything else going on here. We watch because it's intriguing, not involving. The characters are paper-thin, and the situations all feel utterly random, set up only so they look very cool.

And yes, the film is extremely well-made, shot and edited with considerable skill, with set-pieces that continually catch us off guard. The script is minimalistic; most scenes play out in utter silence in places that are fully lit. This puts us on edge even if we don't really care what happens to these vacuous characters. Christopher Gordon's musical score adds to the overall effect by continually harking back to Bernard Hermann, although it's thankfully deployed only when absolutely necessary.

In other words, while there is nothing to this film, and it will likely bore horror fans with its languorous pacing and extended set-ups, it's still a terrific calling card for writer-director China and his twin-brother producer Benjamin. They show great confidence as filmmakers, and we can only hope that their next script has rather a lot more originality than this one.

Matt (Wilkas) is caught off-guard when his oldest friend Jenn (Harris) texts him to suggest that they have a baby together. Living in New York, Jenn has given up finding the perfect man, so reminds her gay pal of a deal they once made. He agrees to go along with it, even though she wants to conceive the natural way. Meanwhile, he's barely starting to get over a break-up. So when he meets a sexy single dad (Doyle) and Jenn has a fling with a painter (Cancelmi), the complications threaten to derail their plan.

Harris and Wilkas have strong chemistry that makes their relationship believable, which is no mean feat. And their banter sizzles with the kind of witty wordplay old friends develop over the years. Although all of the lively side characters talk like this too, which hints at an overwritten script. But is so snappy that we don't really mind. Lisecki fills the screen with people who would be cliches in most movies, pushing things further by having not one but two queeny best pals: Lisecki himself plays Matt's sissy-bear buddy, while Ferver gleefully steals scenes as Jenn's yoga-teacher colleague.

There are also a number of side plots, including Jenn's childless sister (Hollyman), who's trying to adopt an African baby. Adding another childbearing theme may feel contrived, but it provides rich fodder for the jaggedly amusing conversations along the way. And the depiction of Manhattan metrosexuality is telling without ever becoming hackneyed or preachy. Indeed, the film has a cool, sexy vibe that knows when to abandon the goofiness and get sweaty.

In the end, the plot's wacky gyrations undermine the natural issues raised by the dialog and characters. This also kind of transforms the film into a silly rom-com rather than a more interesting exploration of changing ideas about family and parenthood. But the characters are so vividly written and played that we can't help but identify with them, especially with their messy reactions and not-so-quiet desperation for companionship.

Frank (Wood) lives in a mannequin shop where he's surrounded by memories of his slutty mother (Olivo). Totally unhinged, he prowls around after women, cornering them and scalping them, using their hair to recreate them in mannequin form. Then he meets French photographer Anna (Arnezeder), and starts to act like a normal man for a change. At least when he's with her. But can he ever live a normal life if his murderous urges won't leave him?

Shot completely through Frank's eyes, except a couple of odd shots during murders, the film includes his fantasies, delusions and flashbacks, which add to the lurid tone. And Khalfoun deploys his camera in intriguing ways, using long takes and seamless make-up and digital effects to create some serious grisliness. This focus on the violence itself harks back to 80s-style nasties. Especially since all of the brutality is aimed at women.

Since everything is seen through Frank's perspective, Wood's performance exists mainly in breathy dialog, as he talks to himself and his victims. And we see him in a variety of mirrors as well. Even so, no one else really registers. We certainly never have a clue what Anna sees in him other than a source for mannequins for her gallery exhibition. It's inexplicable why she befriends him or why she would ever phone him in a moment of need.

But then this isn't a movie about narrative coherence, thematic depth or character motivation. It's just a collection of increasingly gruesome killings designed to make us feel sick to our stomachs. There isn't a hint of suspense in the entire film, nothing that makes us jump and certainly nothing that remotely engages our sympathies. But there is plenty that makes us cringe from the screen in revulsion. Which for some viewers is the highest form of a recommendation.