If you crossed The Vow with Dark City, we would get the sci-fi horror thriller Affection. Writer/director BT Meza makes his feature debut with a story about a woman who has a mysterious condition where she has memories of a past life, but not one with her husband and daughter.
We come across Ellie (Jessica Rothe) on a dark road, waking up. She’s all bloodied and disoriented. As she gets up to walk, she has some sort of seizure until she is hit by a car. Ellie then wakes up in her bed, unharmed. As she gets out of bed and walks around the house, everything is unfamiliar to her. She first comes across Bruce (Joseph Cross), her husband, who’s a complete stranger to her, and she yells in panic until Alice (Julianna Layne), their daughter, comes into the room. They both assure her that they are her family. She’s not sure what to believe because she only remembers being Sarah Thompson and having a son. Bruce explains to her that she has a condition, and that’s why she’s not able to recognize them, and that in time, she will remember being Ellie.
As Ellie settles into reacquainting herself with her family, there are things that ring true. She sees wedding photos, home video footage, and pictures of her parents, Joe and Eva, who are no longer alive. Bruce further explains that they collectively, as a family, made the decision as part of her therapy to isolate on a remote farm with no distractions so that she can focus on healing. It’s when she begins to bond with Alice that she realizes something is off. Alice shares that she talks to Grandpa Joe often, but Ellie was told by Bruce that her parents are deceased. She notices that Alice has a red bump on the back of her neck, similar to one that Ellie has discovered on herself. Outside, as they’re playing a game of “Hot and Cold,” or hide-and-seek, Ellie comes across a mysterious tarp in the woods with a body moving underneath and runs away in terror.
“We come across Ellie on a dark road, waking up.”
Later, Bruce returns from looking around the grounds for the body and reassures Ellie that he has alerted the local authorities. The conversation leads to a heated argument, which triggers Ellie to have a seizure, and a frustrated Bruce begins to choke her, yelling that she must remember their life together. When Alice runs into the room and distracts Bruce, Ellie is able to break free and flee outside. She spots a barn, and it is here where she learns the truth about herself, Bruce, and Alice.
Initially, for me, Jessica Rothe was the big attraction for Affection. I am a big fan of her from Happy Death Day 1 & 2, and I’m actually amazed that she still isn’t a bigger name. If you haven’t watched those movies, then I would say go do that, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. She may have even picked up the acting ability of “disbelief” from that franchise and applied it here. There’s also another scene-stealer in Julianna Layne, who’s about 10 years old. You can get adults to perform their parts, but it’s the acting strength of Julianna as Alice that sells the idea that Ellie is Ellie and not Sarah Thompson, but more importantly, that Bruce is her father and not some evil guy up to no good.
I give huge props to BT Meza for Affection being his first feature. I’m actually bummed that there isn’t something else that I can reference or look forward to watching of his… yet. Meza takes a wise approach to filmmaking, having one location to keep the costs low, just a few characters to focus on, and a solid story. I was thinking, “Ok, I’ve seen this movie before,” but when the movie turns, it turns, and I did not expect the science-fiction aspect of the storytelling. I liked this movie so much that I watched it twice. I always try to tell people: make a movie like Saw. It was shot for $900K and focused mainly on Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell in one room. That one film turned into a franchise and has gone on to make millions. Meza did a fantastic job with his first outing, and I can’t wait to see how he builds from here.
"…liked this movie so much that I watched it twice."
