MEA CULPA – HOLLYWOOD MOVIE REVIEW

Mea Culpa is a legal and erotic thriller drama following a Chicago defense attorney, Mea Harper, trapped in an unhappy marriage to Kal, a recovering alcoholic who is heavily influenced by his overbearing, cancer-stricken mother.

Mea takes on the case of Zyair Mallory, a charismatic and mysterious artist accused of murdering and dismembering his girlfriend, Hydie. The evidence on Zyair is strong including his matching blood types, skull fragments found in his art and a video of Hydie claiming he intends to harm her.

To make matters worse, the assistant district attorney prosecuting her new case is her brother in law, Ray, who is running for mayor and eager to put her client away.
While fighting the case, Mea begins to fall for Zyair’s seductive charm. The affair is ignited further after Mea’s private investigator, Jimmy shows her a misleading photo of her husband entering a hotel, leading Mea to believe he is cheating( though he was actually visiting his sick mother).

Mea and Zyair sleep together, Mea wanders into Zyair’s studio and discovers multiple hidden paintings of other women underneath the one he made of her, including a vandalized portrait of Hydie.
Realizing Zyair may be a dangerous predator, a terrified Mea flees the country to the Dominican Republic. While trying to clear her head, she tracks down Hydie, who is actually alive.

Revealing Hydie faked her death in an elaborate conspiracy and the case against Zyair was orchestrated by larger, manipulative forces to take him down. In the end, Mea uses this discovery to prove Zyair’s innocence.