Klepto (film)

Klepto is a 2003 straight-to-DVD independent thriller film starring Meredith Bishop and Jsu Garcia. It is the debut film of director Thomas Trail and premiered at the 2003 CineVegas Film Festival.

Plot
In Los Angeles, Emily Brown is a kleptomaniac who is addicted to pills and misses her jailed father, and is undergoing therapy trying to resolve her compulsion. She has a police record for shoplifting, and her mother Teresa is a compulsive shopper whose spending has ruined her financially. The security guard Nick, of Bernstein's department store, sees Emily through a camera and becomes fascinated with her. She resists his advances, which are tinged with blackmail, but her mother approves. When Nick, a couch-surfing divorcee, gets in trouble dealing ecstasy, he presses Emily to help him rob Bernstein's. She resents being coerced into a carefully planned crime and finds a way of both thwarting his plans and bailing-out her mother.

Reviews
Dennis Harvey, of Variety called Klepto an "engaging serio-comedy" and "nifty little character study-cum-caper" picture.

Preston Jones, of DVD Talk praised "a pair of winning performances" in a screenplay which "draws you in close for a subtly surprising finale".

Home media
A Region-free PAL 4:3 (original was anamorphic 1.78:1) DVD was published in Australia by Flashback Entertainment.