What happens when you believe something is an absolute fact, that you’d risk everything, even when everyone around you tells you you’re wrong? It all comes down in Luis Ferrer’s psychological thriller, Mia.
Mia follows the tale of Aaron (Shah Motia), who spends every day hanging out at high school pick-up areas looking for girls. Not girls in general, but a specific girl, a seventeen-year-old named Emma (Emiliana Jasper). When Emma sneaks off at night from her religious mother, she runs into Aaron, who tells her how beautiful she is and coaxes her into his car. As Aaron and Emma drive away, Aaron confronts Emma, insisting that she is actually his long-lost daughter, Mia. Despite Emma’s protests and fears that she’s going to be murdered, Aaron tells her he’s taking her to his Pop-Pop’s house to prove Emma is his long-lost daughter. Along the way, Emma makes a few attempts to run away. These attempts reveal Aaron’s behavior swings between calm and crazy.
At Pop-Pop’s house, Aaron desperately tries to jog Emma’s memories, pulling out Mia’s toys and crafts and telling fun and sometimes tragic stories. Emma says she has no recollection of anything. Throughout the night, Aaron calls Mia’s biological mother, Lisa. The calls remain unanswered, the message unreturned. Emma repeatedly tries to escape, only to be confronted by Aaron’s emotional pleas and fragmented recollections. Their conversations reveal parts of Emma’s past that appear to connect with Aaron’s claims, creating doubt in Emma and confirmation in Aaron. As night falls, Aaron’s frustration over the unraveling situation grows, and Emma’s fear deepens as she’s forced to stay overnight. The fragile bond they form is shattered when Emma calls 911, which unravels all the goodwill Aaron had toward Mia…Emma.
Emiliana Jasper and Shah Motia star in Mia (2025), where a father-daughter confrontation reveals painful secrets in the dead of night.
“Aaron confronts Emma, insisting that she is actually his long-lost daughter, Mia.”
Luis Ferrer’s Mia has all the charm and tone of an indie film that a million-dollar budget could not capture. In this case, working with a small budget only enhances the story. Consider that when you don’t have a lot of money, it’s essential to remember that you have a camera that’s more than just capturing images; in the case of Mia, it enhances the story. For much of the film, the lighting is dark, the camera is up close, and the movie feels claustrophobic and intimate. This simple technique keeps us, the audience, off balance, as if to say Emma is not Mia… or maybe she is.
I love that reality is constantly being called into question, and even when answers are given, the film doesn’t feel predictable. Writer/director Ferrer produced an incredible script and elicited superb performances from the two leads, Emiliana Jasper and Shah Motia. No spoilers, but you’re going to walk away from the ending feeling a bit devastated.
The other thing is just how great (maybe too strong a word), but how not cheap this movie looks. Everything appears to be shot on the spot. No film school setups. No locked-down camera. Aaron’s car is dirty, and his father’s home is disheveled. It all just looks and feels authentic to the situation.
Mia is a gripping exploration of obsession, memory, and the thin line between truth and delusion. Luis Ferrer keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Ultimately, I find myself thinking about this ending more and more with great admiration for a fantastic, yet simple film.
"…a gripping exploration of obsession, memory, and the thin line between truth and delusion."
