Pratik Handore
‘Brazen’ is a murder mystery film that revolves around the murder of Kathleen, a high school teacher who secretly works as a dominatrix for an adult-oriented webcamming website. Kathleen’s sister, Grace Miller, a successful author, uses her experience in the crime fiction genre to crack the case and catch the killer.
As Grace searches for the killer, secrets from Kathleen’s life are revealed. The murder-driven plot and the secrets will undoubtedly pique the audience’s curiosity about the film’s title and setting. If you are looking for the meaning behind the title of ‘Brazen’ and details about its setting, here’s everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD!
What Is the Meaning of the Brazen Title?
‘Brazen’ is a whodunit mystery that mainly focuses on uncovering the identity of Kathleen’s killer. Therefore, on the surface, the film’s title bears no significant connection to the plot. However, when we consider the motivations of certain characters, there is a subtle thematic symmetry that comes to light. Firstly, brazen means bold without a hint of shame. Most often, a brazen action is born out of necessity. Kathleen’s secret life represents the same. While Kathleen is a high school teacher, she secretly works as a webcam model. Such actions would generally be deemed shameful, but after realizing that Kathleen plans on using the money to fight for her son’s custody, her brazenness can be interpreted as a virtue.
On the other hand, the film’s primary antagonist, Jerald, a teenager in love with his teacher, shamelessly commits murder in his twisted quest for control. Meanwhile, Grace decides to fight for bringing her sister’s murderer to justice without being ashamed of Kathleen’s secret life. In that sense, Grace’s actions are also very bold and line up with the title. Overall, the title is the common point between the actions of various characters, with each providing a different interpretation of the word brazen. More importantly, ‘Brazen’ is also a reference to the original novel ‘Brazen Virtue’ written by author Nora Roberts on which the film is based.
Where Is Brazen Set?
Most of the action in ‘Brazen’ takes place in a suburban locality situated in Washington D.C. However, viewers familiar with the localities of the capital city will find that the film’s backdrop appears to have a lack of Washington D.C.’s distinctive architecture and infrastructure. That is because the film was shot in Vancouver, Canada. However, some exterior establishing shots of the city’s skyline, including the iconic Washington Monument and the United States Capitol building, are used earlier on to create the facade of the film’s events unfolding in the capital city.
In the movie, Kathleen and Grace’s family house is located precisely at 3390 Cordelia Street in Washington D.C. However, as per our research, no such place with the exact address exists in reality. The two murders in the film take place in the city in quick succession. In recent times, the number of homicides in the city has reportedly spiked, so the film’s setting bears some semblance to reality in that aspect.
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