By David Dent
A woman walks away from a car crash, bloody and broken, and lies convulsing by the roadside. Picking herself up again, she walks along the road slowly, only to be hit by a passing car.
The same woman wakes up, seemingly unscathed, and gets out of bed, suspiciously eyeing the man previously sleeping next to her. Scared and angry, she claims not to know the identity of the man or the little girl who has appeared to see what the problem is. Worse still, the woman, who the man calls Ellie, thinks her real name is actually Sharon.
This is the opening to the enigmatically named BT Meza’s debut feature, and what a movie to start a career!
The man, Bruce (Joseph Cross) shows nothing but patience and kindness to convince Ellie (Jessica Rothe) that she is indeed his wife – and the little girl, Alice (Julianna Layne) his daughter; they live in happy isolation in the middle of the country. He explains that Ellie was in a car accident, resulting in her brain failing to properly assimilate information, concertinaing facts and fantasies, resulting in her distress.
Ellie gradually calms and accepts that she must be the person Bruce says she is, but she’s at a loss to explain the puncture mark on the back of her neck, and the differing accounts of whether her parents are living provided by Bruce and Alice.
The woman’s gradual realisation about what might be happening is linked to a discovery in the barn adjoining the house. Eagle eyed viewers may be a couple of steps ahead of her at this time (especially if they’ve seen the recent Canadian movie Honey Bunch) but watching the details reveal themselves, and some of the lo fi hardware on display, is satisfying stuff.
This is a tensely directed three hander, with excellent performances, assured photography and a slow buildup of sci fi horror moments. Obviously low budget, it’s high on quality, and strongly recommended.
Bloody Flicks 