In the time-hopping story, Jethica, Elena is hiding out in New Mexico and runs into Jessica, an old school friend who is on the run in the aftermath of a freak hit and run accident. But soon Elena learns that Jessica has a stalker who quickly becomes an imminent threat. Stuck for fear of arrest, Elena and Jessica turn to dark forces from the afterlife to get rid of him for good.
The film’s aesthetics are fluid and directed with swift and beautiful cinematography that gives it a modern and clean look while still grounding you in the desert of New Mexico. In terms of music, the film’s slow, pulsating electronic-esque sounds cascade a darkness over this film that help create the horror tone, especially when combined with some solid establishing and transition shots.
The actors do well with their performances, offering intentionally subdued work that allows the tone and presentation of the film to deliver the most harrowing and scary moments. It’s a mostly quiet movie that does its best to take this low budget bottle episode concept and expand it. The film does take a while for its characters to start making big choices but, once those are revealed to the audience, they should be hooked for the next 10 minutes.
While not a lot is offered in the interim between the dramatic moments, the atmosphere carries the interest. Admittedly, while the idea of your stalker connecting to the afterlife is interesting, this short feature film probably would have been better suited as a well-paced short.
Jethica is available in theatres on Friday, January 19th, 2024.
