Director: Jan Komasa
Writer: Lori Rosene-Gambino
Stars: Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Phoebe Dynevor

Synopsis: A provocative thriller about a very close-knit family that is torn apart as a new movement, “The Change,” envelops the country.

It’s funny until it isn’t. It’s a “fringe theory” until it becomes law. People are allowed to criticize the institutions in power until they mysteriously disappear. “Free speech” becomes “controlled speech” and is no longer what its “absolutists” have advertised freedom of expression as. The “United States” is far less “united” than it ever was. But were they ever truly? This question is at the heart of Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, which begins as a satire of “political speak” at family functions, until the Polish filmmaker, making his Hollywood debut, flips the story on its head and transforms it into a reflection of what’s currently ongoing in the country. 

Is Komasa a prophet? Not really. Like Paul Thomas Anderson, who shot One Battle After Another when Donald Trump was not in the White House for the second time, Anniversary was made in 2023. The fact that it’s being released now doesn’t seem like a coincidence, though. Then again, if you’re familiar with Komasa’s oeuvre, from the morbidly funny Corpus Christi to his social media excavation The Hater, he has always been at the forefront of confronting his audience with the harsh realities of an era veering further into enshittification through the prism of a society that has become more polarizing by the day. He’s also fluent in the history of Poland as a country, which was occupied by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Having directed both Warsaw Uprising and Warsaw ‘44, films that reckon with the country’s troubled past as totalitarian regimes invaded it, Komasa brings a deep understanding of the subject to this mirror of modern-day America. 

What’s most impressive about Anniversary is how Komasa is in complete control of how Lori Rosene-Gambino’s screenplay evolves, which, again, is (very) funny for a while until it isn’t. I was genuinely surprised at how hilarious this thing is, from perfectly calibrated sight gags to timed responses that act as if a bomb has gone off inside a family that has grown more fractured with the arrival of Elizabeth Nettles (Phoebe Dynevor). She is the new girlfriend of Joosh (Dylan O’Brien) and, coincidentally, a former student of his mother, Ellen (Diane Lane). 

Not recognizing who she is at first, Ellen immediately unmasks Liz during her 25th wedding anniversary with her husband, Paul (Kyle Chandler), and warns her to back off. Liz’s intentions, she says, are benevolent, and don’t illustrate the person she was as a teenager in her class, but Ellen isn’t entirely convinced she has changed one bit and believes it’s best if this relationship (we realize this has happened many times with Josh) ends as quickly as it has begun. 

We don’t exactly know what prompts Ellen to react this way towards Liz, until we find out that her thesis, while in University, titled “The Change: Birth of a New Nation” (big yikes all around), advocated for a one-party system ruling over America. This thesis, which was rightfully derided and rejected by Ellen, is now on the cusp of becoming a major bestselling book, published through a conservative thinktank/organization with similar beats as PragerU, Turning Point USA, or The Heritage Foundation, with the latter having outlined  “Project 2025” as the steps Donald Trump should follow when he would eventually return to the White House last year. 

There’s discomfort in Ellen finding out that this anti-democratic sentiment eventually becomes an ideology that millions of people around the world gravitate towards, and it isn’t long before America follows the ideals Liz illustrated in her book and becomes the totalitarian country that is now unfolding before our very eyes. Perhaps it’s a little too on-the-nose, and the parallels between Komasa’s film and modern-day America will certainly prove divisive, because it doesn’t have much to say beyond pointing out things that are happening right now. Yet, that’s also not the point of Anniversary. 

It’s a much more intelligent film than it has any right to be, because it’s not so much a warning of what America will look like in two, or perhaps a year from now, since it’s already happening. Komasa understands that, in 2023, this was the trajectory the country was heading towards. Why patronize the public when there’s no point in doing so? Rather, it focuses on the contemptuous, often gullible nature of individuals who refuse to think for themselves and would rather blindly follow fringe theories because they make them somewhat comfortable. Anyone can be sold gobbledygook (read: snake oil) by people who can effectively convey their message in an approachable way. Why did so many young Americans resonate with Charlie Kirk? It’s a pretty easy question to answer when you examine how the late polemicist engaged with people around his age and debated with them.

It’s thus easy to understand why so many Americans (and non-Americans) resonate towards “The Change,” without Komasa having to show the book’s contents. Liz is a skillful manipulator, as illustrated during the film’s opening scene, where she practices her facial expressions and the delivery of lines she will eventually say to Ellen and Paul upon meeting them during their anniversary. The family then becomes further divided as “The Change” becomes the doctrine guiding America, a few years after the book’s publication. It is at this point that Komasa stops the comedy dead in its tracks to unravel the harsh reality the country is facing and will face for decades to come. 

Komasa is not treading on new ground, but the way he progresses the movie to its bone-chilling conclusion is honestly more than commendable. It doesn’t need to say anything, but it illustrates how easy it is for articulate individuals to topple a society controlled by democracy into autocracy. After all, “if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. And you will come to believe it yourself!” Fascists know what they’re doing, and Ellen catches Liz red-handed before she even realizes that Josh’s fiancée is one step ahead of everyone else. 

And when her daughters, Cynthia (Zoey Deutch), Birdie (Mckenna Grace), and Anna (Madeline Brewer) are in danger, what will happen when they are forced to believe in the lies of “The Change” to protect themselves and the people they love most? Komasa gives no answers to this predicament. He instead builds upon the layers of unease and discomfort of his opening section to turn it into a terrifying meditation on a country that has openly embraced totalitarianism and doesn’t realize the consequential impact this will have across the globe, and, most importantly, at a profoundly individual level.

He examines how politics corrupts and transforms even the best of us, the ones who will theoretically “resist” until their last breath, but eventually kowtow to the fascist regime because they have theoretically no way out. This is what happens with every totalitarian regime – people are forced to submit to the ideology in power if they (and their family) want to survive. It doesn’t happen all of a sudden, as the change (get it?) happens progressively. There are a lot more complex questions raised than answers in Anniversary, but that’s precisely what Komasa wants you to think about as it reaches a denouement that will undoubtedly divide, but linger deep in your memory. 

In that regard, Diane Lane delivers her most compelling on-screen performance since her Oscar-nominated turn in Adrian Lyne’s Unfaithful, as a woman who wants to keep fighting on, as the times move in darker directions than she ever thought possible, but is forced to make harsh decisions to protect the people she loves the most. With the movie being as funny as it is, Lane is often quite mordant in her line delivery and has an insatiably palpable alchemy with Chandler, who acts as the “apolitical” high ground of the family, until, once again, he is forced to reckon with his ideologies in a frightening confrontation that puts the couple in a precarious position they never imagined would happen in their lifetimes. Dynevor also gets under your skin as the fascist who knows exactly how to articulate her message so her eventual husband gets roped into the film’s version of The Heritage Foundation and becomes more powerful than the author herself. 

At that point, Komasa begins to question if Liz’s line of thinking predates her downfall, but the movie doesn’t seem as interested in parsing this throughline as its most pressing subjects. That said, there’s no denying Anniversary crawls under your skin in ways that few films that dare speak truth to power against the fascists currently running the United States will. Komasa’s experience with his Warsaw diptych might have been the reason why the film feels so alive and accurately depicts the authoritarian turn in America that many conservative pundits and politicians will try to justify as necessary, when they will eventually walk back on everything they’ve said, or ignore it ever happened decades after Trump has bit the dust. But we’ll remember who supported – and uplifted – this, long after the dust has settled and a semblance of normalcy has returned to this failed nation.

Grade: A

Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Writer: Patrick Aison
Stars: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Reuben De Jong

Synopsis: Cast out from his clan, a young Predator finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

After the financial and critical disappointment of The Predator, the Predator franchise lay dormant with seemingly no new directions to turn in and always being under the shadow of its older brother, Alien. However, nearly everything turned around when director Dan Trachtenberg entered the picture to helm two new projects that went straight to Hulu with Prey and this year’s Predator: Killer of Killers. Both were praised for their reinvigoration of the central premise of these films, toying with gadgetry and action setups in the most effective manner in the franchise since the original 1987 film, and luckily, Predator: Badlands continues Trachtenberg’s winning streak. Badlands acts as Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison’s most risky venture with the Yautja (the actual name of the Predator species) yet by not only making a predator our main protagonist for the first time but also tackling a relatively new tonal space for the franchise, blending in more comedy and surprising emotional resonance than ever before. It’s bound to be jarring for the most hardcore of fans, and the film’s occasional tonal struggles keep it from reaching the heights of the previous two entries, but Badlands is still a great and refreshing perspective change into this new era of Predator films, showing Trachtenberg’s firm handling of the reins. 

Badlands begins from the central perspective of Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Yautja who is looking to prove himself to his brother Kwei (Michael Homack), who is training him in the ways of The Predator, and his father, who thinks he is weak and doesn’t have what it takes to truly become a Yautja. After another brutal cruelty from his father, Dek travels to the remote planet of Genna on his first hunt to take the head of the ultimate adversary, known as the Kalisk, to prove his value to his home clan. It isn’t long before Dek finds a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia (Elle Fanning) and the two embark on a journey to discover the harsh truths of what they both search for together. From its opening moments, the strongest elements of Badlands give way to more unique scenarios that we’ve never seen from the franchise. One of the most appreciated aspects here is how contained the story is overall, as the film centers only on Dek and Thia. It’s so invigorating to not only be rooting for a predator but also to see more perspectives within the lore of the Yautja.

Dek is already a younger predator, but it’s also interesting to see him struggle and come into his own as a Yautja who has been cast out by his own. Seeing him learn his own ways of hunting and finding real strength alongside his new allies is a great central theme for the film, but also an opposing spin on the view the Yautja were seen as before this film, solo macho hunters who see most as nothing but meek prey. After its opening, the film acts as a dual adventure between Dek and Thia, and there’s plenty of great fun to be had, but I love the parallels between each of them being from a family or culture where they don’t quite belong. As the bond between the two of them grows, it’s hard not to be won over by the strong development between them, which holds the entire film together. 

Badlands’ biggest departure from the usual beats of the franchise would have to be in the tone of the film itself. Yes, the other films have plenty of Sci-Fi adventuring and gun blasting in them, but Badlands explores a lot more of the globetrotting and comedic aspects. There’s a lot more humor and a more lighthearted nature to the film than most would expect out of the franchise, almost in a similar vein to Star Wars, and purists of these films are more likely to see this as more of a bug than a feature, but I was surprised at how well it was executed. Of course, it doesn’t always completely work, and the tonal clashes of cutesy humor and brutal dismemberment of synthetics and creatures are sometimes jarring, but it helps when a large portion of the humor is actually funny! 

Elle Fanning provides a good portion of the film’s heart and humor, but she actually plays two characters here, with Thia and her much colder synthetic copy, Tessa. Tessa acts as the complete character flip of Thia, who wants to do nothing except the orders of capturing the Kalisk and Dek for the Weyland-Yutani corporations, and Fanning plays both characters with great distinction. She’s always been a welcome presence in the numerous films she’s been a part of, but this film acts as one of her strongest showcases yet, and she sells moments of silliness and badassery in equal measure. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is also a standout as Dek, as he has the task of bringing the most emotion out of a Yautja we have yet to see from the franchise. The matching of the great combo of VFXs and practical effects with Schuster-Koloamatangi’s immense physicality makes Dek yet another strong instance of the impact of the Yautja. 

It goes without saying that Trachtenberg more than delivers on the action front across the board. Many were worried the film’s PG-13 rating would hamper the impact of the violence in this franchise, but the slicing, dicing, and head-ripping of all sorts of beings is more satisfying than ever, especially in the film’s climax. In his previous two entries, Trachtenberg made great use of Yautja gadgetry and the creative ways it can be used to advantage and disadvantage in battles, and that trend continues in the most satisfying of ways here. 

Predator: Badlands is another strong outing for Trachtenberg, not only delivering the fun ingenuity and gripping action that we’ve come to expect, but also giving a fair amount of heart that is a surprise, but a welcome one. Badlands offers the grandiose scale and adrenaline-filled spectacle many wanted, but expands on the lore that shows Trachtenberg is more than capable of taking the keys to the franchise.

Grade: B+

Director: Tatsuya Yoshihara
Writer: Hiroshi Seko
Stars: Kikinosuke Toya, Reina Ueda, Fairouz Ai

Synopsis: In a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into Denji’s world, and he faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where survival knows no rules.

During the opening half of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc, a continuation of MAPPA’s hit 2022 anime series, protagonist Denji (Kikinosuke Toya) goes on his first date with his biggest crush, Makima (Tomori Kusinoki). Instead of doing something rather traditional, Makima takes Denji on a cinema-hopping trip, where, by journeying through different cinemas in the city, they watch (read: criticize) several popular movies until their final film – an obscure, auteur-driven work – inside an empty venue, blows them away. The two cry and wonder why a seemingly irrelevant segment in an otherwise esoteric film brought them to tears, while the populist works they had viewed beforehand did not affect them. 

Answering this question, Makima then says to Denji, “I only find one good movie for every ten movies I watch, too. But one of those was a movie that changed my life.” That line cuts especially deep because, in an era where movies have lost their artistic value and are turned into mindless pieces of “content” with little cultural relevance, a film like Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc feels like that life-changing work of art Makima is talking about. It’s not only the year’s best animated film, but completely redefines anime storytelling for the big screen, pushing the artform into completely new emotional – and artistic – horizons that I’m not even sure MAPPA knew they were capable of doing until they made it.

Unlike another popular anime film based on a preexisting IP, with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, one does not need to have seen MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man to understand the story being told here. However, the character dynamics – specifically, Denji’s attraction to Makima and the relationship he had with Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil, who transfers his power to the protagonist after sacrificing himself – might not be cleared up if you don’t make the effort to view what is, in my humble opinion, the best anime of this decade. It’s an often complex and surprisingly emotional fantasy actioner that, yes, dazzles with its array of impressive, squirm-inducing setpieces, but never loses sight of deepening what matters most on a show like this one. 

At the end of Chainsaw Man, tears – in the most unexpected ways – may flow down your face, whether through fleeting, innocuous gestures (such as the act of smoking cigarettes) or in sitting with the protagonists as they realize the decisions they make will inevitably lead them further into loneliness. Reze Arc doesn’t shy away from doing the same thing, although it primarily focuses on a “love triangle” of sorts between Denji, Makima, and the “new girl” on the block, Reze (Reina Ueda). She begins to hang out with the Chainsaw Man after the two meet cute in a phone booth, and progressively fall in love. Denji wants to devote his entire romantic impulses to Makima, yet he can’t help feeling the same affection Reze has towards him, until, predictably, she is not what she initially says she is. 

I’ll leave it at that, as the plot is best experienced with knowing as little as possible. Still, it’s pretty apparent to anyone familiar with the source material (Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga) that Reze is not of the human kind. When this is revealed, the next hour of Tatsuya Yoshihara’s feature-length “episode” is an endless action sequence that astounds both emotionally and kinetically. The “cinematic” language of MAPPA’s anime series is stretched to grander heights on an IMAX screen, perfectly demonstrating the animation studio’s malleability in transitioning from the small-scale confines of television to the large canvas of a gargantuan screen. The film also shifts from a quasi-realistic “slice of life” picture (the burgeoning romance between Denji and Reze, which is deliberately paced) to an all-out explosion of artful colors and images that are as jaw-dropping as they nourish and stun the soul. 

Fragments of a future life will be shown through different animation styles (one seemingly adopts watercolor-like movements), or sections of a fight scene will slowly shift tone and color to exacerbate the punishing ordeal Denji is currently feeling. One specific sequence is entirely in black and white, but the punches, which are lit with a bright orange, turn each hit into the fire of a thousand flames. It’s maximalist and hyperviolent, sure, but Yoshihara never forgets that, within the action, especially in anime, the characters grow and have profound experiences that change their perception of the world they live in forever. 

I don’t want to compare apples to oranges (or, in this case, MAPPA vs. Ufotable), but last month’s Demon Slayer film was a perfect demonstration of this. Director Haruo Sotozaki would frequently halt the momentum of a present-day action sequence to fill out his lengthy runtime with as many flashbacks as possible, contextualizing the significance of the challenges Tanjiro (and the other antagonists) must endure. In Reze Arc, Yoshihara always captures each major action beat through the characters first, before distancing his camera to explode the screen with images of great intensity, only when the connection between the audience and the protagonists is made. 

There’s also a real sense of humanism in the storytelling that is sorely lacking in most Hollywood animated offerings. The movie never talks down to the audience. It offers fully-fledged, mature characters they can latch onto, who, no matter how insane a given situation may become, especially in how humans and demons essentially coexist in this world, are fundamentally flawed. For instance, Aki Hayakawa (Shogo Sakata) wants to die, and he makes it clear to his colleagues that this world has offered him nothing in return ever since Himeno’s death. Yet, he finds a new purpose when Reze upends the stability of his – and everyone else’s – life. I won’t spoil what happens, but the sheer heroism he enacts during one key sequence instills in him that perhaps this life is worth something before he’ll eventually rejoin Himeno in the great beyond. 

Yoshihara is also unafraid of confronting audiences with the grim moviegoing landscape we’re in, both in terms of the quality of motion pictures and the decline of cinema-going as a whole (cinema-hopping sounds fun, though). He does this before showing them what movies can – and should – look like in the last hour, so bracingly exhilarating it may very well make you emotional based on the sheer artistry on display, and then wreck you with how it ultimately wraps up. It remembers to stay as human as it can before moving on to the next phase of the series, which will be much darker than this film. 

That could be why Reze Arc may be defined as a watershed moment for animation as a whole, and not just anime, as Hollywood continues to figure out if this medium should be taken seriously or be strictly reserved “for kids.” Japan and China have beaten them at this game already, and will continue to do so until they get the message. Thankfully, audiences will soon realize that, like Makima, this film will stay with them for the rest of their existence, as they continue to plow one mediocre motion picture after another to find the next title that will inevitably change their lives…

Grade: A+

Director: Sasha Wortzel
Stars: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Betty Osceola

Synopsis: An ode to the Florida Everglades past and present, told through the prescient writings of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and those who today call the region home.

We all know that documentarians strive for truth. There is an investigative nature of the work that, in the best cases, feels exhaustive. But all journeys must begin with a single step. They tend to put the rest of us to shame, as we are more likely to simply accept “known truths,” which are not actually known, but only accepted. If we travel with them, and continue to be curious, it may reward us with knowledge that has been known and passed down for generations without our awareness. That awareness will lead to actual change and growth, if we allow it. 

River of Grass takes its title from a travel book written by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1947, titled “The Everglades: River of Grass”. Well, at least it appears to on its surface. Quickly, we are given more information. And, it should come as no surprise to anyone with a vague interest in history, that it leads to indigenous people and connection with nature. Even the most well-meaning white people in history, like Douglas, have stolen from indigenous people, regardless of their intent. And this is exactly why it is important to dig deeper. Director Sasha Wortzel crafts a stunning look at the past, present, and hopefully the future of the Florida Everglades. The Everglades are a perfect example of something we just accept, and this will never change. But, terrifyingly so, human beings have power to shift and change the landscape, whether or not we should.

In exploring the past, we find quickly that the desire to alter the land is what leads us to both great and terrifying changes. Wortzel interweaves her film with recordings, writings, and images of Douglas to its great advantage. Even if she did steal the term “River of Grass” from the local indigenous people, it does not mean that she did not create great works for the conservation of the area. She is also aided by the combination of the beauty of Florida and her cinematographer, J. Bennett. Particularly in the sections detailing the importance of Lake Okeechobee, there is a spiritual connection felt as the river flows in front of the camera. 

These visuals, along with an expertly written piece about the effects of the lake truly house the importance of the film. The voiceover details that this is the first time that she has ever seen these waters personally. Yet, basically every person in Florida has felt the effects of this body of water. And this is the major problem of our times, as well as the heart of conservation. We are desperate to build bigger and better (and for more people) without ever truly realizing the cost. As the film importantly states, nature will always win. We are not destroying the planet exactly, we are destroying the habitable nature of this planet for us. Human beings should always be on the side of nature, as it is our spiritual mother. But we have become so far removed from the source of life that ignorance seems easier.

River of Grass is both a travelogue and a call to action. Especially given our current political climate (one in which our planet is taking a terrifying back seat), its message could not be more important. Although it likely contains well known information to those that live in Florida, it is a message to all of us to take a closer look. No matter where you live (especially in the United States), there is a hidden fight taking place on our land. It may not involve toxic waters, animals seemingly magically returning to their place of birth or tree islands (with their own deep history), but all it takes is a little work to become closer to our earth.The nature that we speed by on our way to our next appointment is calling out to us, ready to be saved for our next generation. Asking why and how is the important first question that River of Grass begs us to ask.

Grade: B+

Director: Vivian Kerr
Writer: Vivian Kerr
Stars: Scottie Thompson, Connor Paolo, Jilon Vanover, Vivian Kerr

Synopsis: In 1892 California, a Victorian woman contemplating adultery is forced to take refuge from a storm at the home of her first husband and his unstable wife, who claims to be haunted by their dead child.

Many horror films have misnomers. What the film is about is actually something else entirely. The Wicker Man is not actually about that gigantic figure, but rather about belief and the dangerous lengths people can travel. The Silence of the Lambs takes its name from one scene that, yes, tells us a lot about the characters, but is not completely integral to the plot. The list goes on and on. And the list continues with Vivian Kerr’s second feature length film, Séance. Given the title, you might think that this film is purely about contacting someone from beyond the grave. And while that may be a plot point, focusing on this misses the point entirely.

In Séance, we are first introduced to important characters, though we do not know it yet. The stylized introduction shows the drowning of a young girl, while being watched by her mother at the beach. As it slowly transitions, we are shown new characters at the same beach. Emma Strand (Scottie Thompson) is seated on a blanket with her husband, Albert (Connor Paolo). Thanks to a winning script from Kerr, a great deal of information is transmitted in a simple scene. Emma is a published (and popular novelist) and her husband is a struggling artist. He is a bit meek and timid, and she wants intimacy, closeness, and clearly, a child. There is an awkwardness in this interchange played by both Thompson and Paulo that is almost painful to watch for anyone who has been in a mismatched relationship. The couple soon encounters George Ford (Jilon Vanover) and his wife, Lillian (Vivian Kerr). The twist here is that George is Emma’s first husband and Lillian is the woman featured at the beginning who lost her child. And despite her best efforts, the sparks definitely fly between Emma and George. Quickly, they travel to George and Lillian’s home and almost immediately get trapped in a storm. 

At this point, despite the titular séance not occurring yet, it becomes clear what the film is actually about: marriage. And if you have ever experienced a bad one (or seen your parents go through it), it is completely understandable as to why. Now sure, in older times, marriage was directly tied to land acquisition and downright ownership of women, so that’s already terrifying. This is why, from a writing perspective, it is so important that Emma is a more modern woman who clearly has desires and a lucrative career. Thompson’s performance is really the lynchpin of the entire film and she never disappoints. You feel her struggles, her temptations, and her desires without it ever seeming overwrought.

As we are reintroduced to Lillian, despite her odd and sometimes overtly aggressive behavior, there is an empathy engendered (partially from the script and partially from Thompson) that leads us to go along with whatever comes next. And what comes next are the horror stylings from Kerr and her truly gifted cinematographer, Johanna Coelho. Once the film moves from the bright, sunny beach to a mansion on a dark and stormy night, Séance truly opens up in incredible ways. For those of us that were raised on old horror movies, this is like catnip. Nearly the rest of the film feels filmed solely by candlelight, with shadows and surprises hiding around every corner. Even if the surprises and jump scares are slightly derivative for fans of horror, they are nonetheless effective. The mood that Séance creates is impeccable and pushes the story forward as much as creepy dolls, sounds you can’t quite tell are real, and possible evil spirits called by, you guessed it, a séance.

But again, this movie focuses on the horrors of binding yourself to one person for life. Are they right for you? And even if they are, is it worth it? What terrifying truths await you after you walk down the aisle? But maybe the most important issue it dissects is finding out if love is enough. The choice that Emma has between a well-meaning kind man and one she still has lingering passion for is a difficult one. Vivian Kerr, paired with her lead actress, Scottie Thompson, manage to craft a portrait of imperfection that seems to beg for analysis. All of the horror elements work well enough, but her examination of the difficulties of true commitment is perhaps the scariest of all.

Grade: B