LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! Writer/director Jen Romnes delivers a gripping, emotionally charged thriller with Alterations, a film that delves deep into a mother’s worst nightmare.
Anna (Diana Studenberg) is a single mother who works at a diner to pay the bills. Teen daughter Taylor (Madeline Sadai) is about to graduate from high school and dreams of attending college. Her very wealthy father, Lawrence (Dwayne Bryshun), who lives comfortably with his new wife, Clara (Vanessa Verdeaux), refuses to help pay tuition and prefers to live as a rich a-hole. When Taylor fails to show up for school after staying at a friend’s house, Anna realizes something is terribly wrong—Taylor is missing.
With the police offering little help, Anna must take matters into her own hands, beginning a desperate search for Taylor. Anna’s only help comes from her friends, including her café boss Ron (Joe Jason Hippen), and even Clara, who surprisingly offers help despite their strained history. As the hours pass, Anna’s fear grows into obsession, and each clue unearths new secrets about her family and community.
“As the hours pass, Anna’s fear grows into obsession, and each clue unearths new secrets about her family and community.”
As the search intensifies, Anna’s journey becomes as much about survival as it is about discovery. Forced to confront betrayal, loneliness, and her own emotional breaking point, she learns just how far a mother will go for the child she loves. What begins as a frantic search turns into a powerful story of endurance, redemption, and the resilience of a woman who refuses to give up hope.
There are a few things that truly frighten parents, and one is when a child goes missing. It’s the lack of closure and mind games we play that make it difficult to think straight and sleep. In Alterations, Anna’s journey is marked by fear, frustration, betrayal, and loneliness; however, she ultimately stops at nothing to uncover clues and find her daughter, alongside the community of support she builds along the way.
Writer/director Jen Romnes crafts an incredibly solid thriller with Alterations. She absolutely nails the tone, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Clearly, Romnes was not given a big Hollywood budget, and in turn, her resources are focused solely on the cast performances and bringing us into a gritty thriller. I love that things don’t necessarily wrap up perfectly in the end.
Alterations is a raw, tense exploration of what happens when love and fear collide. Through Romnes’ sharp direction and powerful performances, the film shows that even in the darkest moments, a mother’s resolve can become the most unbreakable force of all.
Alterations screened at the 2025 LA Femme International Film Festival.
"…raw, tense..."
