Medusa

PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST 2025 REVIEW! The short film Medusa, written and directed by Sarah Meyohas and co-written by Courtney Podraza, is about Mia (Elektra Kilbey), a young Swedish perfumer. She goes swimming in the ocean in France, topless, when she is stung by a jellyfish. Philip (Franck Sémonin), an older Frenchman, comes to her aid, rubbing medicine on Mia’s leg. Their chemistry builds as the duo talks, and the physical touch no doubt plays into it.

In Medusa, Philip (Franck Sémonin) tends to Mia’s (Elektra Kilbey) jellyfish sting, sparking unexpected chemistry between the two characters.

“…she is stung by a jellyfish. Philip, an older Frenchman, comes to her aid, rubbing medicine on Mia’s leg.”

The film comes off like a rom-com at first, with the electric momentum between Kilbey and Sémonin building until a sinister twist changes it all. Philip is in his car in the forest. Mia says that she doesn’t get into cars with strangers, but then flirts by stating she does other things with strangers. They go in for a kiss, but Philip rolls the window up so that Mia’s stuck. The sequence feels almost like a rape, but Mia gives her consent. It’s an intense scene that plays on confusion and going against social norms.

Medusa is an expertly crafted movie that takes things to an extreme and plays in the grey areas. Art is a reflection of life, so we can’t be afraid of what we may see when we look back.