Storywise, Pascal Payant crafts a dark suspense thriller that gets under your skin. Our protagonist Arianna with a troubled past goes into spiral obsession finding the "truth" while her brother with "good intentions" consistently intrudes. You start to question which sibling needs the most help. Pascal however contrasts the tension with gentle moments when they share their childhood moments together at their former home. In addition, we also get a positive sense of Arianna's professionalism as someone who "rebuilt there life". Actress Abby Siegworth's nails this quite well, as someone masking her obsessive journey.
On a visual standpoint, it is always exciting to experience Pascals work. His minimal crew and organic way of filming keeps me wondering how he shot the scripted moments and the larger scenes that was likely a live-event. From his signature natural-lit spaces, horizons and nightclubs, Pascal brings us back to Senior year through the storys centerpiece Logan. We are engaged in the character's Motorcross shots and a memorable live-Football game serving as a breaking point for the character. Pascal again pushes the envelope bringing an "immediate" non-studio look serving the story. I enjoy that immediacy feeling as if I am there.
Some more visual highlights building the suspense was the "revelation" scene in the driveway. The choice to use a simple Flood light heightened the "truth" conveying Arianna's life is about to crumble losing everything and her profession. In addition, my definite highlight was the climax where she is positioned before a Cathedral structure. Dramatic, exquisitely framed and symbolic of what she has been through and her fate. Furthermore, Pascal's choice of Ocean motifs drove the story and were not merely there for "editing transitions" but rather life renewing its source through Ebb and Flow. He understands the psychological impact of visuals with content.
Overall Pascal crafts and delivers his signature visual work leaving you an haunting impression. From highly intimate scenes, large set-pieces on top of synth music on a subject of Adoption and Obsession. In terms of his second feature, Pascal's message to the indy filmmakers is to be "unflinching, that there are no excuses to not make your own film"
