Short Film Review “The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne” An unassuming, slow-burn, yet undeniably disconcerting look into what we do with loss
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW:
First, the Recap:
What are the depths that despair might lead us into? We’ve all known sadness, disappointment, resentment, and any myriad of attitudes that accompany us when life doesn’t always work out the way we’d planned. Yet, it is within this realm that it becomes imperative to be aware of just HOW much we allow it to control us. It’s perfectly ok to mourn. It takes time to heal. But, what if instead we want something back so badly, the choices to pursue it consume us…and not at all for the good.
It is Halloween night, and for a young woman named Emily Jayne (Brittany Renée), it is about far more than passing out candy to the local kids. For within her resounds a loss that she is striving to deal with, yet is also severely driven by. Having already had designs on rekindling a connection with her now-deceased lover Annabel (Shelby Lynne Willis), the means by which Emily has turned to could harbor the success she seeks….but at what cost??
Next, my Mind:
With this newest 29-minute short film from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor Steven Adam Renkovish, the very root of indie filmmaking comes to bear, a testament to the sometimes eccentric, avant-garde approaches that artists within this community like to embrace when at all possible. It stands to reason that such efforts are absolutely applaudable yet too often not given the kind of consideration and attention this critic believes they should. Additionally, when filmmakers establish a certain style they favor, they will also aim to stick with it, a visual “signature” as it were. With other shorts I have seen and offered thoughts on from Renkovish, including “A Beautiful Silence” and “Fugue“, the director tackled faith and loss respectively, utilizing very well-grounded image-driven storytelling with multi-faceted means to do so, offering crisply defined and intentionally grainy footage hand in hand to create indelible atmospheres to the work.
Here, Renkovish remains true to this, shooting the entirety of this newest project on Super 8 Kodak film ON a Super 8 camera. What I first feel sticks out here in doing this is that it provides a very uniquely crafted ambiance of both dramatic and eerie resonance to a deeply haunting cautionary tale about a young woman pining for the great love of her life she’s recently lost and is adamantly wanting to connect with again…..through any way necessary. On the surface, the film is not what one would typically consider “scary” or even true “horror” by strict definition. Yet, that’s IS precisely what it ultimately manifests into, albeit with more subtle, building, and ethereal ominousness as opposed to blatantly conspicuous jump scares or blood and gore. It’s almost like the understated nature of the film actually finds a way to ENHANCE the disturbing undertones of what is transpiring in the narrative’s course we view and reflect on.
Via current day and flashbacks to provide the grander context, it’s an exploration of just how much the love for someone whom we’ve unconditionally entrusted our heart to and is no longer there crushes us, even while our attempts to assuage the pain and void within are present. Soon, if we allow, that pang inside drives us towards ideas and/or associated actions that we believe will give us the release we seek. However, even if it might do so, what IS the TRUE price paid for such opportunities? That is the thematic gist here, told with slow-burn but effective punch that forces us to put ourselves IN the place of the lead character, to ponder what she is feeling, to understand WHY she is pursuing what she is, yet also knowing this could be a potentially unrecoverable endeavor that won’t have the happy ending desired.
Just being transparent, the film’s title somewhat gives away what we are subsequently anticipating for the film’s finale. Yet, it doesn’t ruin anything, mind you. Rather, it becomes more about the road to ARRIVE at that exact point and have a much clearer picture of the circumstances leading up to it, to absorb the depths of lingering anguish this character is experiencing, realizing all the factors around her that are trying to PREVENT her from going down the path she is, and the resistance to it that she chooses to stand firm with out of the sheer inner grief she is holding so tightly to. There’s a certain extent of cathartic liberation we feel in a key moment during the film’s third act, but it is tainted by the actuality of what will be the end result of a quest for regaining lost and still all-consuming adoration.
Renée is Renkovish’s chosen muse, and in all truth, it makes sense and more importantly, it WORKS. There’s a consistency that gets established when you choose to work with the same actors across multiple projects, and this is now the third time I’ve seen the actress take on the lead role, doing so with an often muted intensity that carries the weight of the narrative with grace and intentionality. This time, it is via the role of Emily, a woman who, on Halloween night, plans to dive headfirst into powers beyond her actual comprehension in order to reconnect with Annabel, the love she has lost to death. Even in spite of both those that encourage her path and those who are adamantly against it, Emily is of a single mind and will do whatever it takes just to see Annabel again. But the road to worse places is paved with good intentions, and Emily could be setting herself up to pay a higher cost than she might wish.
Again, in spite of the gravity and unsettled nature of what is transpiring, the magnitude of this air of discord and desperation is carried off with an energy that is held in check yet fully present when you are willing to comprehend what’s burning underneath, and I personally feel Renée is very adept at portraying this kind of more veiled emotion, raw yet remaining grounded, relatable, and accessible as she’s acting it out. Primary supporting roles arrive first from Willis as Annabel, the central focus of Emily’s current plans and now former lover who was taken away from the living world far too soon, and will become a catalyst for Emily’s re-discovered joy….or possibly a darker journey than her still living paramour knows concealed within the facade of reconnection and moments to relish love once again.
Jessie Roberts is Adelia, a close friend of Emily’s who may be the very reason the young woman is chasing after Annabel’s spirit via freely encouraging Emily and offering her the means to try and do what she’s doing. Yet, will even Adelia come to recognize the inherent danger and cost of such a foray? Lorraine Renkovish is Loretta, a local church leader who has some very strong opinions about what Emily is involved with and wishes her to get out of it, much to the latter’s annoyance. Additional supporting turns come from Anthony Adams, Crystal Brown, Ashley Renkovish, Chance Roberts, Hop Roberts, Lucas Roberts, Maggie Roberts, and Merrick Williams. So, in total, “The Strange Disappearance of Emily Jayne” is a study in highly restrained horror, eliciting a different but still very present and tangibly creepy air and intent involving the weight found within the desolation of loss plus how mishandling coping with it can spell our own end rather than its.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
