On Wednesday February 28, USD’s Activists for Equality and Spectrum: Gender and Sexuality Alliance held a candlelight vigil to honor the life of an Oklahoma non-binary student, Nex Benedict.
Benedict was a 16-year-old Owasso High School student who passed away this past month after an altercation broke out between themselves and their peers in a school bathroom.
Video footage released by the school showed three girls entering into the school’s bathroom shortly before Benedict and their friend entered behind them. It was here that the three students allegedly attacked Benedict and their friend, after they had poured water on the girls for laughing and mocking them.
In an interview with Benedict’s mother, she told law Benedict had been bullied throughout
the year. A police report issued by Owassa High School about the fight until Benedict was brought to the hospital by relatives later that day.
Benedict stated in an interview that they had momentarily “blacked out,” while being attacked on the bathroom floor.
Benedict had been discharged by the hospital but was later rushed back that same day, before passing away only a few hours later.
Oklahoma law requires students to use the bathroom of their assigned sex at birth.
The U.S. The Department of Education alongside the Oklahoma Police Department are currently still investigating the exact cause for Benedict’s death, as well as the incidents that led to it.
The results of what happened in the bathroom have sparked vig-
ils and conversations about safety for the LGBTQ+ community.
“In recent years LGBTQIA+ people nationwide have been increasingly targeted through political policy and rhetoric that has contributed to a rising hate crime rate,” said President of Spectrum and USD’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Phoebe Smith.
While those who attended the vigil do not know Benedict personally, Smith said it’s important to acknowledge how their death impacts other communities outside of Oklahoma.
“By pointing out this injustice we hope to raise more awareness and attention for the correlation between these discriminatory policies, bathroom bills for example, and violence against trans people,” Smith said.
“Events like this one also allow our communities and allies
a chance to process the violence against one of our own,” Smith said.
The vigil took place in front of USD’s Coyote Legacy Statue. Students grieved the loss of Benedict’s life, and discussed the resources available for LGBTQ+ individuals in the Vermillion community.
USD student, Sage Corvus who was in attendance at the vigil, shared their thoughts on the treatment of LGBTQ+ students who are currently living on college campus’.
“We have all seen discrimination before, and we do not deserve to be put into a box that we do not fit into, or ostracized just for being the people that we are,” said Smith.
Smith went on to emphasize the ways in which USD students can help prevent discrimination by utilizing their own experiences
and voices on and off campus.
“As students we have the opportunity and community to recognize injustice. We are incredibly lucky to have a supportive campus community that encourages diversity of thought and allows us to host events like this to build community and hopefully, facilitate change,” said Smith.
Smith said part of their organiztoin’s role is to bring awareness to event.
“Instead of focusing on quantifiable goals for this event, we hope to bring some healing to our communities and shine light on the correlation between harmful anti-trans attitudes and violence against the community,” Smith said.
Spectrum meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in MUC 219.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s upcoming philanthropy event connects students to science and medicine in a unique way. The fraternity is hosting a stem cell registration drive in an effort to register more people on the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) donor list.
Stem cells are used to treat blood cancers like leukemia. The cells are extracted through a simple saliva swab and then reviewed by professionals to find a potential match. Then, the donor travels and donates their stem
cells.
Cael Sutton, a fraternity member, first learned of the cause at the fraternity’s national convention three years ago, where he first registered to donate. Last month, he received a call that he matched with someone in need.
According to Sutton, NMDP compensates donors’ entire travel expenses. He flew down to Houston, TX for his stem cell donation.
“It was really cool, there was somebody holding a sign with my name on it waiting to pick me up
at the airport,” Sutton said.
Sutton said he was contacted three times previously about being a match. He was a backup donor previously.
“Once you get on the registry, you’re on there for as long as you want to be,” Sutton said.
The fraternity will host a saliva swab event where all students can register to become a donor. Students are invited to register to donate in the MUC on March 25.
Sutton hopes his experience helps eliminate confusion about stem cell
donation.
“We’ve never tried to get other people on campus to do it outside of the fraternity, but after I matched, this year we thought we might as well try it,” he said.
When pitching the event to Sorority and Fraternity Life, Sutton was able to describe his experience and give context to what the process is like for students.
“I think my experience made it less abstract,” he
Carter.Linke@coyotes.usd.edu
The South Dakota House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to accept Senate changes to an act to prohibit the chemical modification of industrial hemp. These changes to HB 11125 were concurred to on Feb. 29.
The bill would ban Delta-8, Delta-9, and THC-O products that were made legal by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, colloquially known as the Farm Bill, signed into law in 2018.
Rep. Brian Mulder (R-Sioux Falls) introduced the bill because Delta-8, Delta-9, and other modified industrial hemp products are not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Mulder said the language of this bill came after various conversations with state agencies, such
as the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Department of Health.
HB1125 modifies existing law, introducing the term “chemically derived cannabinoid” in Section 1.
“In 2023, the DEA put a statement out saying THC-O should be a regulated substance. We need to clarify this in our state,” Mulder said.
Mulder argued the bill’s intent is not to harm the hemp industry, but to regulate synthesized products on the market.
Brian “Donald” McDonald, the general manager for Flamez Tobacco & Vapor in Vermillion, South Dakota, said he is concerned the bill would move the market away from the hemp industry to the hands of the black market.
“The implications for making
this illegal, there is a reality that when you criminalize a product, you put the product into the hands of criminals,” McDonald said.
He argued people that choose to use the product will continue to seek the product. Donald is concerned those seeking the products rely on hempbased THC as an alternative to prescribed opioids.
“The people I’m concerned about are the elderly folk that come in. For example, just yesterday, we had a gal in the shop that uses 5 mg delta gummies. She came in and told us she was able to sleep through the night for the first time in years,” McDonald said.
The bill now sits on Gov. Noem’s desk awaiting her signature.
Tuition increases might be another year away for South Dakota university students. On Wednesday, February 14, the Joint Committee on Appropriations announced the state’s revenue estimates, and it looks like 2025 could bring yet another tuition freeze for students attending SDBOR universities.
The possibility of extra revenue allows the House and Senate to consider ongoing requests for the state’s budget. This would be the fourth consecutive year tuition freezes would be appropriated into the state’s budget.
During her 2024 budget
address to the state, Gov. Kristi Noem excluded the tuition freeze from her budget recommendations.
However, many lawmakers have since argued that it is crucial to continue this freeze.
Vermillion resident and District 17 Representative Chris Kassin sits on the House Appropriations Committee and is currently considering the tuition freeze as this year’s session comes to an end.
“The Regent’s number one priority was freezing tuition. We’re seeing students come from all over the country, and we’re seeing increases in enrollment through our universities,” Kassin said.
Kassin said another tuition
students to the state for higher education.
Students have echoed these positive remarks for a tuition freeze, according to Student Government Association Vice President Libby Brust. She has worked alongside the student body to advocate for another tuition freeze.
“A fourth consecutive tuition freeze would be instrumental in continuing the trend of diminishing student loan burden for USD graduates. Between 2020 and 2022, student loan debt for our graduates decreased by $3,623, largely attributed to the tuition freeze instituted by the South Dakota Legislature,” Brust said.
Forbes Magazine ranked South
state to earn a college degree. For students like Brust, this is largely thanks to the consecutive tuition freezes.
“The minimal student loan debt acquired by South Dakota graduates speaks volumes about the effectiveness of tuition freezes in the state. By implementing tuition freezes, South Dakota demonstrates its commitment to keeping higher education accessible and affordable,” Brust said.
The Student Government Association recognized passed Senate Resolution (SR) #4: A Resolution in Support of the South Dakota Legislature and Board of Regents Continuing the Tuition Freeze for Public Universities for the 20242025 Academic Year in September.
served as a collective voice for all students attending the University of South Dakota to advocate for affordable tuition.
“Active efforts to maintain college affordability and accessibility carries significant long-term economic and social benefits as opposed to potential short-term financial gains. We have seen that tuition freezes enhance college retention, leading to more students graduating with degrees in South Dakota who can contribute to the workforce, ultimately fostering a vibrant and competitive economy,” Brust said.
The South Dakota legislative session ends this Thursday, March 7, when legislators will pass the state’s budget for the next year.
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Last weekend USD’s Music Department held one of its biggest events of the year: the Spring Choral Showcase.
On Feb. 25, the Spring Choral Showcase presented musical works from the four campus choral groups: Chamber Singers, Symphonic Choir, Jazz Choir and the Collegium Musicum.
Chamber Singers is an a capella choir comprised of students in various studies, but requires an audition. Symphonic Choir is the community choir that any student, or even community members, can participate in.
Jazz Choir is new this year and allows for singers to explore different music styles. Collegium Musicum is an all women’s choir that performs a wide range of repertoire.
Maleah Wright, vice-president and member of Chamber Singers, and member of Symphonic Choir and Jazz Choir spoke about the preparation involved. Each choir is given class time to work on songs, but it is up to the different sections within the choir to find time to practice outside of class. This can be hard with conflicting schedules.
Rehearsals are not the only thing that can be difficult to work around. Weekends that involve several different music department events, like last weekend’s performance from the Symphony Orchestra, can create a confusing schedule.
“Concert weekends are always really busy,” said Wright. “There are always multiple things going on.”
Each choir performed between three and four songs at the showcase, the exception being the Chamber Singers who performed seven songs. Students and community members worked to perfect the songs and had to work around their busy schedules not only for rehearsals, but for the hectic concert weekend.
Though busyness surrounded the weekend, it set the pace well for the other events that will take place later in the semester, such as the Chamber Singers’ spring break tour.
“This year we are traveling through Iowa and Missouri, and then we will work our way back to South Dakota.” Wright explained. She anticipates that their performance in St. Louis will be the highlight spot of the tour.
Chamber Singers start learning and performing music at the beginning of the school year. Their spring break tour includes every song that they’ve learned throughout the year.
“Everything that the community hears at concerts from August to March is what we will perform on tour.” Said Wright.
With this compilation of songs, the concert that is performed at each location will run about two hours long.
Besides the spring break tour coming up, the choirs will be doing a collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra on April 19th. There will also be an opera that the Chamber Singers Choir will be performing at the very end of April.
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Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.
The Jackrabbits claim the top spot in the Summit League for the second year in a row after going underfeated in Summit League play.
The women’s standings have not been as tight as the men’s standings this season as one team has been at the top all season long.
No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits finished the regular season undefeated in conference play going 16-0 and 24-5 overall.
In the play in game, the No. 8 Kansas City Roos (12-19, 3-13) and the No. 9 Omaha Mavericks (7-22, 3-13) will face off on March 8 at 4:30 p.m. The winner will face off against South Dakota State on March 9, at 3 p.m.
The Roos won both matchups in the regular season win-
ning 88-74 and 72-56. Roos’ graduate forward Dominique Phillips scored 23 points on eight-for-eight shooting from the free-throw line in the first matchup for Kansas City. Mavericks’ senior guard Polina Nikulochkina scored 11 points for the Mavericks in the final matchup.
The next matchup on March 9, at 12:30 p.m., is between the No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (19-10, 13-3) and the No. 7 Denver Pioneers (8-21, 5-11). The Bison won both matchups in the regular season, winning 84-63 on Jan. 18 and 86-65 on Feb. 17.
The Bison’s sophomore guard Elle Evans had 22 points and 10 rebounds leading the Bison in the first matchup. The Pioneers’ sophomore guard Jordan Jones led with 24 points in the final matchup.
On March 10, at 12:30 p.m. the No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (20-11, 9-7) face off against the No. 5 St. Thomas Tommies (15-15, 7-9). The Coyotes won both matchups in the regular season winning 63-61 on a game-winning shot on Jan. 18 and winning 75-61 on Feb. 17 in Vermillion.
The Coyotes’ junior guard Kendall Holmes scored 19
points for South Dakota in the first match between these two teams and Tommies’ junior guard Jade Hill scored 22 in the final matchup of the regular season.
The final quarterfinal game is between the No. 3 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (20-9, 11-5) and the No. 6 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (9-20, 5-11). Oral Roberts won both meetings in the regular season winning 71-55 on Jan. 18 and 102-57 on Feb. 17.
The Fighting Hawks’ fifth-yard guard Kacie Borowicz scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds for in the first matchup between these two teams. Golden Eagles’ graduate guard Hannah Cooper had 30 points in the final matchup.
The semifinal matchups will take place on March 11, at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Championship game will be March 12, at 3:30 p.m.
The winner of the Summit League Tournament will get an automatic bid into the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament which starts on March 20.
After the final regular season game between Oral Roberts and Kansas City, the Summit League Tournament bracket is offically finished. After 16 Summit League games, both the men’s and women’s South Dakota State basketball teams captured the top overall seeds.
The Summit League men’s basketball standings have been tight this year, including two tiebreakers toward the end of the season to determine seeding.
South Dakota State picked up first place in the final standings with a 12-4 conference record and a 19-12 overall record.
The first game of the Championships will be on March 8, at 7 p.m. This game will be the No. 8 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (11-18, 5-11) against the No. 9 South Dakota Coyotes (12-19, 5-11) in a play-in style game with the winner advancing to face off against SDSU (19-12,12-4) on March 9, at 6 p.m.
The Coyotes and Golden Eagles split the regular season series 1-1 with each team winning on their home courts. Oral Roberts won the Jan. 11 matchup in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 84-66, with senior guard Issac McBride scoring 21 points. South Dakota won in Vermillion on Feb. 24, 77-76 with senior guard Bostyn Holt scoring 25 points.
The next game will be between the No. 2 Kansas City Roos (16-15, 10-6) and the No. 7 Denver Pioneers (15-16, 6-10) on March 9 at 8:30 p.m. Kansas City won both games in the regular season 85-71 and 84-69, respectively.
Kansas City’s sophomore guard Tyler Andrews scored 25 points in the first meeting leading the Roos to a win. Pioneers’ fifth-year guard Tommy Bruner has led the NCAA in scoring all season and had 31 points in the last meeting between these two teams.
On March 10, at 6 p.m. the No. 4 St. Thomas Tommies (19-12, 9-7) face off against the No. 5 North Dakota State Bison (15-16, 8-8). The Tommies and the Bison split the regular season series with both teams winning at home against each other.
In St. Paul the Tommies won 79-66 on Jan. 25, with graduate forward Parker Bjorklund scoring 32 points with nine rebounds. On Feb. 22 the Bison won in Fargo, 64-50, with junior forward Andrew Morgan scoring 17 points in just 21 minutes.
The final quarterfinal game is between the No. 3 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (18-13, 10-6) and the No. 6 Omaha Mavericks (14-17, 7-9) on March 10 at 8:30 p.m. The Fighting Hawks and Mavericks split the regular season, each winning at home.
Omaha won on Jan. 11 at home 79-61 as junior forward Frankie Fidler scored 29 points going 18-for-20 from the free throw line. North Dakota won the second match 99-78 as three players scored over 20 points in sophomore guard Treysen Eaglestaff, sophomore forward B.J. Omot and senior guard Tyree Ihenacho.
The semifinal matchups will take place on March 11, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The Championship game will be March 12, at 8:30 p.m.
The winner of the Summit League Tournament will get an automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament which starts on March 19.
In February, the Coyote football team added another coach to their staff. Matt Vitzthum has recently been hired as the new wide receivers coach.
Vitzthum previously came from Grand Valley State, a Division II school in Michigan. He was there for 10 years, during his time he was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
He came to USD because it is closer to home, as he is originally from Iowa. He had a connection with one of the people on the football staff at USD, and he got to know more
people through the interview process.
“I am excited to see a new brand of football. Everything is going to be really new to me. I think the Missouri Valley is the most competitive FCS conference in football. I am excited to coach in it,” said Vitzthum.
He states that there is a veteran group of receivers this coming year. The guys have been very kind to him and have taken him in. With going through many receiving coaches throughout the years, this is not the receivers first time transitioning to a new coach.
“It has been good getting to know everyone the best I can. I like to spend time getting to know the players,” Vitzthum said.
He describes head coach Bob Nielson as “the best.” On Vitzthum’s first day, Nielson walked him around, which was a big part of his feeling welcomedat USD.
Vitzthum has a wife and two kids, who will move down to Vermillion after the school year. The toughest part so far he said is being away from them. His hobbies outside of football include golfing and spending time at the lake during the summer.
South Dakota also welcomed in Connor Cheek as the new Director of Football Operations both started working immediately as the program grows its staffing.
Sophomore jumper Bennett Schwenn came to South Dakota for college not knowing what exactly he was going to do but has since made a home on campus long jumping.
Schwenn was a multi-sport athlete in high school playing football and basketball as well as track. Schwenn had the most fun and success in track and field being a three-time state champion.
“This is the sport I enjoyed the most in high school and I kinda knew I wanted to do that,” Schwenn said.
Scwenn’s desire to continue competing in the long jump throughout college helped him to be recruited straight out of high school and eventually led him to his time at USD.
“I jumped in high school and had some success there, and got recruited to do either the multi (decathlon, heptathlon, or pentathlon) or the jumps, got here, loved the jumps, and stuck with it,” Schwenn said.
Competing in the jumps turned out to be a good decision by Schwenn. As a freshman, he would finish second in the long and triple jump in the Indoor Summit League Championships.
At the 2024 Indoor Summit League Championships, Schwenn took first place in the long jump event with a 7.59-meter jump and finished sixth in the triple jump.
Schwenn knows it takes more than just a meet or a practice to see the results he is looking for: winning the Indoor Championships was just one part of the success he wanted.
“Working hard all season, you wanna see the results at the end, and to see the results you were hoping for is really good,” Schwenn said.
Schwenn has seen success all season as he became the No. 1 Coyote in the Top 10 list for Indoor long jump beating Don Maryott who held the record for 46 years. With his record-breaking season has come seven podium finishes and Schwenn will take those when he can get them.
“It’s cool to be on the podium when you can, it’s all the training we do showing in the results,” Schwenn said.
Schwenn has since changed his focus to the outdoor season, as the indoor season came to an end. Schwenn knows that the good weather will help him and the rest of the team get an early head start on the competition.
“Training will be mostly the same, just transitioning to training outdoors instead of indoors,” Schwenn said. “It helps getting out earlier to be able to see better results at the beginning of the season than we did last year.”
Schwenn hopes he and the athletes won’t be held back this year as he looks to continue his record-breaking season.
As I write this column, South Dakota has entered its last week of the legislative session. South Dakota is one of a few states whose legislature meets for only a few weeks a year. It’s late out, and I’m probably the only person in the Capitol besides custodians and security.
A lot happened during these nine weeks, and time traveled quickly. Representatives introduced 258 bills, and Senators introduced 220. Combined, that’s 478 bills that were dealt with in some manner: some were passed, some died in committee and some were withdrawn by the bill’s sponsor.
It’s easy to forget to take a step back and remember that I played some role in the process of making rules that affect hundreds of thousands of people, even if it’s just as an intern. Just before
writing, I had a great conversation with a Rapid City representative that made me think more about what we’re doing in Pierre and my life in general.
I worked for Representative Will Mortenson, the House Majority Leader hailing from Fort Pierre. I attended many meetings, watched a lot of floor debates, and gained a very good understanding of how a session works in this state.
The lobbyists (like them or not) play a large role, too. They run around on behalf of interest groups ranging from the governor to Catholic nuns advocating for their people and trying to persuade legislators.
After being in Pierre, I have an appreciation for the legislators who choose to run for office, even if I didn’t always agree with their voting record (trust
me, I didn’t). I can see a lot of them want to find what’s true and what works best for our state.
Moreover, I have an appreciation for the process and how functional it is. Most people have no clue that our state is light years ahead of Congress.
You really have to see how both function in order to truly grasp the differences. This session, every bill had a hearing. In Congress, you’re lucky if 1 in 50 bills is taken up by a committee.
Moreover, multi-purpose omnibus bills are prohibited in our state, something which plagues Washington, D.C. In South Dakota, one bill addresses one issue.
Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that anyone could do this. It’s not a rip on anyone in particular, but our legislators are just regular people who
volunteered two months of their time.
If you want to see things change, then go out and do something. So much of our country’s problems occur because regular people believe it is someone else’ responsibility to make things better. Or worse, because they can’t make things better.
That’s only true so much as you believe you can’t have an impact. I urge you to take responsibility for not only yourself but for the things you care about. This could be education, taxes, criminal justice, zoning, etc.
A big thank you to The Volante staff, in particular Juliana Oltmanns, for running the show back in Vermillion. It has not been easy to be away or to refrain from writing about the legislature, but an extremely valuable experience nonetheless.
Charles Streeter Is a USD senior majoring in Political Science and Psychology.
Across
1. Resort City On The Yucatan Peninsula In Mexico
3. Caribbean Island That Became An US Territory In 1917
5. Island In The Atlantic Ocean, Famously Has Swimming Pigs
7. US City Known For Its Large Casinos And Entertainment
9. Florida City That Houses Disney World
Down
2. String Of Tropical Islands Off The Southern Tip Of Florida
4. Birthplace Of Reggae Music
6. Resort City At The Southern Tip Of The Baja California Peninsula
8. Coastal Metropolis On The Southern Tip Of Florida
10. “There’s no place like ____”
The Volante accepts original comic submissions. To submit a comic, email Nathan.DeGreef@coyotes.usd.edu
Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.
“I can’t see the red flags in him if I simply choose to close my eyes.”
-North Complex
“I don’t know what to tell you, but I’ll pray for you though.”
-Charcoal Lounge
“You know what, I’m proud of you for being racist.”
-MUC
To be or not to be; to attend or not to attend. The South Dakota Shakespeare festival is the thespian event that takes place in the Vermillion community over the summer.
The festival started back in 2011 by Greg Huckabee, Scott Mollman and Chaya Gordon-Bland, who were all professors at USD at the time, to provide professional Shakespeare to the area.
Rebbeca Bailey is Executive Artistic Director for the festival and took over for Chaya Gordon-Bland in 2022. Bailey’s primary function is to scope out the artistic format of the show and to handle casting.
“There wasn’t a state Shakespeare festival anywhere here, and in addition to that it was free,” said Bailey. “It was meant for
everybody. It was accessible and outdoors, and really set out to become a part of our community.”
This year they will be performing Shakespeare’s The Merchant in Venice. The play is about a merchant who takes out a loan, which he is unable to pay back. The merchant agrees to give the moneylender a pound of his flesh, which he is unable to do. From there many shenanigans ensue.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this show. I fell in love with the show when I saw it at the American Shakespeare center,” said Bailey. “It has comedy, it has romance, and it has the thing that’s gonna make your heart stop for a second and have you on the edge of your seat.”
“I really am handling all of the performance aspects, but I have a lot of help as far as production,” said Bailey. “We have our board president who also helps with a lot
of the business finance, but I do a lot of things with marketing.
For casting this year, there were over 200 video submissions and in-person auditions for 11 to 12 different roles. Auditions come from all over the country, from California to New York.
On March 2, the board had their annual Wine with Will event, which is the largest fundraiser held each year. This event included wine, hor d’oeuvres, auctions, Shakespeare performances and more.
“It’s a chance for us to come together and celebrate; celebrate those who are standing behind us as a community, for us to celebrate them and for them to celebrate the work that’s happening here in the community,” said Bailey.
The event is mainly funded through local grants and donations from businesses and families, which helps to keep the event free
for all in the community.
“There’s so many things in the world that divide us. If we can just sit for two, two and a half hours and remember things we share, remember that we are human, I think that goes a long way in healing or bridging the divides that I
Submittedsee,” said Bailey. “The arts have been the way I learned to process the world, and it’s not everybody’s way, but I do think it does offer something for everybody.”
Hollywood as of lately has had a string of producing movies and TV shows appealing to nostalgia, by adhering to the cultures of previous decades and Lisa Frankenstein is no exception. Stranger Things, for example, revitalized a lot of love people had for the 1980s when it first released in 2016, so much so that the following years saw an increase in 80s-inspired media.
This trend however, has since died down and first looks at Lisa Frankenstein might leave some thinking that it is a bit late to the party.
While the movie tries to
emulate the success of the ’80s nostalgia run, it still finds room to have its own identity, as it is a modern reimagining of the classic Frankenstein story.
After a tragic event occurred in her past, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is now a social outcast who feels no connection to her family, or peers. Due to her solemn state, she instead finds solace in visiting the grave of a young man.
One fateful stormy night, a freak lightning bolt strikes the grave, revitalizing the young man (Cole Sprouse) who now seeks help from Lisa to become fully reformed as he is still missing body
parts. Realizing this opportunity, Lisa agrees to help him by killing and gathering the limbs of those who have greatly wronged her.
Dark comedy romances are a rare occurrence in large-scale film releases, which is why many audience members were initially eager to see this film. However, within the film lies the possibility of major disappointment, as its plot struggles with what genre it wants to be. There is a nearly constant comedic tone throughout the film that lessens the scenes that call for more serious moments. The pacing does not help this either, as once the killings start it feels like a race towards the end of the film.
The film is also littered with awkward writing which can be taken as a prevention from the audience becoming emotionally invested in most parts of the movie.. A final issue that can be noticed upon watching this film was the sound mixing was a bit poor making it hard to hear the dialogue.
All of these points make it seem like Lisa Frankenstein is a fairly messy film, which it sort of is. That being said, there are a lot of cute aspects of the film that still make it worth a watch. There are parts of the film that are experimental with its visuals using a mixture of goth- Victorian aesthetics that would not be out of
place in a Tim Burton film.
The song choices were also great with a tracklist of softer romantic 80s songs filling the scenes. There is a whimsical rendition of Kathryn Newton’s I Can’t Fight This Feeling which ultimately serves as the theme for the film.
When compared to other adaptations of Frankenstein, Lisa Frankenstein still stands out despite its flaws. While not a must-watch, especially in theaters, this film would still be worth the watch to those looking for something a little bit different.
