SYNOPSIS: As a young woman painstakingly prepares a romantic homecoming for her girlfriend, their apartment begins to feel more like a tomb when voices, shadows, and hallucinations reveal a truth she has been unwilling to face.
ALONE WITH YOU is set almost entirely in a single location, which means you need to do a lot working with very little, and star Emily Bennett, who also shares a co-writing and directing credit with her fiancé Justin Brooks, certainly makes sure that this picture is never less than engaging.
Charlie (Bennett) is excited to see her partner Simone (Emma Myles), a photographer, who has been working away from home. She takes great care in preparing a very welcoming return, but as time ticks by and Simone fails to appear, things slowly begin to take a darker turn. Flashbacks provide glimpses of a strained relationship that clearly shows an ever-widening gap between them, and Simone may well be having an affair. This, along with other clues as the movie progresses, may make it obvious where this is all heading, but it’s all about the journey, not the destination, right?
Bennett is key to us enjoying the ride, delivering a flawlessly modulated performance that never tips into histrionics as her character begins to mentally unravel. The directors successfully generate – and maintain – a claustrophobic atmosphere and deliver some chillingly effective set-pieces, the stand-out of which involves a room full of mannequins and, well, that would be telling wouldn’t it. A manic voice from a vent, flickering lights, footsteps, and shadowy figures ensure that all the usual horror tropes are present, but a number of attempted jump scares do fall flat; a minor quibble in an otherwise frightfully effective psychological shocker.
VERDICT:
ALONE WITH YOU releases in cinemas this February 4 before heading to On Demand, Digital, and DVD on February 8.
