Affection

by Mike McGranaghan

Given how talented she is, it’s surprising that Jessica Rothe hasn’t had a bigger career so far. Aside from Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, her resume has been light on notable movies. Rothe’s latest, Affection, offers additional proof that she needs to be sprung onto the A-list. The actress does sensational work grounding a far-fetched story.

In this sci-fi/horror hybrid, she plays Ellie, a woman who had a traumatic brain injury that impaired her memory. Or at least that’s what her husband Bruce (Joseph Cross) says. He continually tries to get her to remember important aspects from their life, including time with daughter Alice (Julianna Layne). The problem is that she has other memories, including one that her name is actually Sara. She also remembers having a son.

It doesn’t take Albert Einstein to realize something fishy is going on here. Ellie figures it out quickly, after encountering a body in the woods and a weird alien-like lifeform in the barn. Suspense comes from watching her try to put the pieces together while continually grappling with how much - or how little - Bruce can be trusted. Writer/director BT Meza doles out clues slowly, nudging us closer to the edge of our seats as we wait to learn the truth about Ellie’s predicament.

To say Affection is “out there” would be an understatement. You have to suspend your disbelief to an extreme degree, but it’s worth doing so because Meza uses the concept to fuel several fun twists and turns. Things do get a touch confusing toward the end, thanks to how fast those twists occur. From a thematic standpoint, the movie raises intriguing questions about identity and what makes us who we are.

Jessica Rothe brings a ton of emotion to the role, allowing us to feel the sheer terror that grips Ellie throughout. She’s the human core in this body-horror madness. It’s a key plot point that her character intermittently gets the shakes. That sort of thing can look ridiculous onscreen. Rothe avoids that pitfall, convincingly conveying the character’s mental and physical trauma.

Affection builds to a gooey, slime-drenched conclusion that pays off the story nicely. The visual effects team does a great job devising sick and twisted sights to make viewers squirm. Their efforts combine with Rothe’s totally committed performance to deliver a film that’s perversely entertaining, in the best sense of that term.