The Monkey's Mask 2001

In a mysterious Australian bar, a young woman named Mickey enchants the audience with a moving poem, drawing them into her world. As she leaves the stage, destiny takes a curious turn; a stranger claims her attention and drives her away in their vehicle.

Meanwhile, Jill Fitzpatrick, who once served as a police officer and now works as a private investigator, is tasked with unraveling the mystery behind Mickey’s disappearance, now two weeks in the past. Her investigation leads her to Mickey’s university, where she meets Diana, Mickey’s poetry professor, who exudes an allure that captures Jill’s curiosity. Despite her marital commitments, their relationship deepens through intimate coffee talks and midnight drinks, stirring complex emotions within Jill.

The plot thickens when Jill learns that Mickey’s body has been discovered, plunging the investigation into a solemn atmosphere. Mickey’s parents beseech Jill to diligently seek out the truth, convinced the police have hit a dead end. Struggling with the weight of her findings, Jill grapples between her quest for justice and her intensifying connection with Diana.

As Jill delves deeper into the mystery, her friend Lou introduces her to the pulsating poetry scene, where she meets two seasoned poets, Bill and Tony, whose ties to Mickey are anything but simple. Their hesitance to assist Jill raises flags, especially when she uncovers some of Mickey’s provocative poems written about Bill. Diana brushes these findings aside, branding them as “victim poetry”, further calling Mickey a “nymphomaniac.” The tension escalates as Jill starts receiving eerie phone calls from an unidentified individual manipulating her sense of security.

A twist arises when Jill discovers video footage from the night of Mickey’s disappearance, adding layers to the unfolding investigation. Alongside this, Jill and Diana’s relationship spirals into more dangerous territory, culminating in a moment where Jill experiences erotic asphyxiation during an intimate encounter. When Diana inquires about her recollection of the event, Jill is left troubled by her empty memory of it. Bill’s haunting confession that Mickey had left a mark on him, pushing him to write disturbing poetry, further complicates Jill’s understanding of the young poet’s life.

Tragedy strikes as Bill’s car explodes while he races to deliver vital information to Jill, claiming his life and throwing Jill into turmoil. As she confronts Diana about Bill’s comments regarding Mickey’s work, Diana expresses the urgency of finding “evil” poems, sensing they may hold the truth about Mickey’s tragic fate.

As Jill untangles the complexity of Mickey’s existence, she questions the people around her, wondering about the extent of their connections with Mickey. In a critical moment, she learns from Diana that Mickey had never written poetry for her, revealing that Mickey’s interests lay elsewhere, and leaving Jill feeling betrayed and uneasy with Diana’s perceived indifference to Mickey’s death. This leads Jill to sever ties with the troubled professor altogether.

In an effort to gain more insight, Jill ventures to Brisbane with hopes of connecting with Tony over their shared admiration for Mickey’s artistry. Her investigation takes a shocking turn as she learns that Mickey kept a diary, which Diana had previously acquired, now mysteriously missing from her office. This revelation intensifies Jill’s suspicions about Diana’s true intentions.

Adding to the intrigue, Tony’s wife, Barbara, visits Jill to share unsettling news regarding Diana’s deceitful behavior in her relationship with Tony, warning Jill not to place her trust in Diana. Returning home to devastating news of a burglary and destruction of critical evidence, Jill feels the walls closing in around her. In a stroke of luck, she discovers a backup copy of the tape she had made earlier, which unveils a startling reality: Mickey’s connection to Diana was part of a larger narrative that couldn’t be ignored. The footage portrays Mickey leaving the bar alongside Diana and her husband, Nick.

Driven by this newfound evidence, Jill decides to confront Nick, posing as a supportive friend while digging for the truth about the circumstances of Mickey’s death. In their interaction, Nick’s sinister demeanor reveals a shocking confession—an admission that Mickey’s demise was the outcome of a harrowing game gone wrong.

With this incriminating information in her possession, Jill approaches law enforcement, providing them with both her findings and an audio recording of Nick’s confession. Just as hope glimmers on the horizon, Diana emerges, threatening Jill with legal repercussions should she dare to expose the secrets they both share.