In The One That Got Away, writer-director Scott Talbot drops us into a post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest where moral clarity is a luxury no one can afford. Leah (Lydia Kelly), Ayden (Benjamin Rigby), and Kate (Cecily Elliott) have taken refuge in an abandoned home marked by ominous graffiti reading ‘They’re lying to us.’ They are on the run from a violent group they previously encountered—with deadly results. Tensions are high for the trio as they debate their next move. While Leah and Kate venture out on a recon mission, Ayden stays behind.
During their outing, Leah confesses that she won’t let anything bad happen to Kate. Kate responds with a simple touch of the hand. As they walk away, Kate twists her ankle and is unable to walk, so Leah returns to Ayden for the first aid kit.
When she gets back, she finds Ayden being violently interrogated by Jack (Stephen L. Wilson), a member of the hostile group they’ve been hiding from. Jack is hunting Leah, blaming her for the deaths of two of his men. Leah is faced with an impossible decision. Either she chooses to flee with the supplies or stay and risk certain death rescuing Ayden.
“Either she chooses to flee with the supplies or stay and risk certain death…”
The One That Got Away does what all good post-apocalyptic tales should do, presenting a situation that challenges our sense of right and wrong—our morality—and asks the question, “What would you do?” In the case of Scott Talbot’s film, the right answer is also the wrong answer.
As a film, Talbot admirably creates an end-of-days setting in the forest. He lays out a powerful contrast between death and the beauty of nature. Add an abandoned shelter, spray-painted warnings, and three actors who can convincingly sell the fear—the result is a small indie short capable of big things.
The One That Got Away delivers the kind of lean, high-stakes storytelling that indie thrillers live or die by—and this one fights its way to the top. With a strong sense of place, emotional stakes, and an ending that forces you to ask yourself, “What would I have done?”, this short proves that a small story can punch well above its weight.
"…The right answer is also the wrong answer."
