Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021) review

Mona Lee (Jeon Jong-seo), who is being kept in a psychiatric facility in Louisiana (and incorrectly diagnosed with "schizophrenic psychosis"), manages to escape using her telekinetic powers, has a fleeting encounter with greasy Fuzz (Ed Skrein, impersonating James Franco in Spring Breakers), saves exotic dancer Bonnie (Kate Hudson) from a beating, dodges the efforts of determined Officer Harold (Craig Robinson) to arrest her and eventually flies out of New Orleans.  The same gripe I had with 2016's The Bad Batch also applies here: Amirpour pitifully underwrites her project, failing to flesh out a single one of her characters - a few brief shots show that Mona's originally from North Korea, but what does that say about that isolated region in any meaningful way?  (Do people from there have "psychic abilities?")  She seems primarily focused on her own visual "aesthetic" (the sharp, nocturnal cinematography is by Pawel Pogorzelski) and only lightly touching on feminist issues (the dudes who frequent Bonnie's club, "The Panty Drop," corner and pummel her) - something is very wrong when the most relatable inhabitant in the barely-there movie is Bonnie's preteen son Charlie (Evan Whitten), who has already developed a taste for rocking out to bands like Suicidal Tendencies.  Trust me: the kid has potential.