It was initially surprising to learn that Montreal’s Christal Films would be the distributor to step up and give a release to Karla, the film maudit that has made headlines in this country for the better part of a year, right up until its Canadian release Jan. 20.

Smart money had said that a smaller distrib with less to lose would be the one to take a chance on the film. After all, this is a movie that had received calls for a boycott from no less than Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, out of respect for the St. Catharines families of the murder victims of Karla Homolka and husband Paul Bernardo. (The abductions of the two teenage girls and their subsequent killings are dramatized in the film, although their names are changed.)

While the reputation of an established company like Christal – which counts among its successes the monster Les Boys franchise – might be tarnished by the adverse publicity, a smaller player could have potentially made a name for itself if the film hooked into the moviegoing public’s morbid fascination with the case. Similarly, Equinoxe Films catapulted itself into another league when it took on the Canadian release of The Passion of the Christ when that film arrived amid a flood of controversy, albeit of a different kind.

But, upon further reflection, Christal’s involvement makes sense.

First of all, the film, from L.A. prodco Quantum Entertainment and director Joel Bender, would have been too hot to handle for an Ontario distrib. The Homolka/Bernardo saga, a story that has been carefully scrutinized by the province’s news media since the late 1980s – starting with Bernardo’s activity as the Scarborough rapist, up until Homolka’s recent prison release – simply hits too close to home. While notoriety for a film often translates into success at the box office, even local distributors – whose business, at its core, is exploitation – found this case off the charts. Jeff Sackman, president and CEO of ThinkFilm, sent out an e-mail to his fellow distributors imploring that they band together and not acquire this film.

And so, like its titular character, Karla ended up in Quebec. The murders were not as closely followed there at the time, but now, with Homolka living in la belle province, there is a local fascination with her to which Christal would hardly be immune. The distrib is also well aware of the box-office potential of bondage and torture, as it is handling the Quebec release for Hostel, which is ripe with these themes and stood as the number three movie in Canada as of Jan. 12. Perhaps Christal is thinking that the stakes are higher in Karla since it is based on actual events.

Make no mistake, Christal’s involvement is strictly a business decision. Having seen the film, I can safely say that any arguments on the distributor’s part about this being an important picture can quite easily be struck down. The film does not have a U.S. distrib yet, and merit has nothing to do with it getting theatrical bookings in Canada; rather, it’s because, as Karla producer Michael Sellers says, 98% of people here are familiar with the case.

Quantum constantly draws comparisons to the U.S. indie film Monster, which casts Charlize Theron as serial killer Aileen Wuornos, but Karla is no Monster. It is easy to see why Quantum would look to that film as a business model, however: Karla’s reported budget is US$5 million, while Monster’s is US$8 million; both deal with repeated sex-related killings; both productions offer central performances from actresses looking to branch out. In the case of Karla, that would be Laura Prepon, best known as Donna on the long-running Fox sitcom That ’70s Show. Monster went on to gross US$35 million in North America and win an Academy Award for Theron’s stunning turn.

No such fate awaits Karla.

While I expected to be deeply disturbed by the film, as was the case with Monster, I couldn’t get past its B- or C-movie reality. It is simply a by-the-numbers retelling – from Homolka’s perspective – of how she and Bernardo hooked up, how they participated in the killing of two strangers and Homolka’s sister Tammy, all of which landed them in custody until Homolka’s release. Little to no insight into these characters’ motives is provided. Curiously, the parents of the murderous couple do not exist in the film, likely due to legalities.

I doubt the film will attract much business, especially when potential viewers start hearing that it tells them less about these events than they already know. At best, this is the kind of movie for people who like to watch true crime stories on Sunday afternoons on A&E.

Admittedly, the fact that Monster was based on true events did not deter me – in fact, it was a factor that compelled me to see it. In the case of Karla, I will not contest the producer’s right to make it, the right of the distributor and exhibitors to release it, and broadcasters’ right to promote it. But I can’t help but be saddened by the sheer cynicism of the whole exercise.