“Variant” (** out of four) was a muddled thriller about a struggling female artist (Ashlynne Yennie) who meets a mysterious stranger (Dino Antoniou) and becomes entangled in his various twisted attempts to “relive the perfect moment in life” and her perception of reality becomes inside-out. Interesting storyline is awkwardly done as film fails to build or sustain any story tension or intrigue. Perhaps this may have worked better as a short story or on the stage.