Chloe

A young woman moves in with a friend of hers, only to discover that she is not what she seems.

Chloe (Sansom) has just broken up with her boyfriend and needs a place to stay. Sarah (Devaujany), one of her friends, offers to accommodate her in her apartment while she gets back on her feet. Initially, Sarah appears to be a perfect companion, making Chloe feel at home and taking her out. However, as time goes by, Sarah's behaviour changes and she turns into a physical and emotional tormentor, disapproving of Chloe's lifestyle and accusing her of being promisculous and a heavy drinker.

This French-speaking short begins as a drama about relationships and friendships and turns into a dark psychological thriller about duplicity, control and torment. After scenes of happiness and hope towards the future, the atmosphere changes dramatically as Sarah shows her true colours, turning into a cruel bully and Chloe becomes her victim, being constantly insulted by her harsh words. Although the abuse is primarily verbal, Sarah occasionally gets physical with Chloe, pushing her further and further into despair. As Chloe becomes more and more alienated from her friends and has her spirit crushed by Sarah's actions, it feels unlikely that things are going to change for the better.

Chloe comes across as a nice person but also a vulnerable one who seems to be influenced easily by others and the viewer will most likely sympathise with her as she 'becomes trapped' in Sarah's hopeless and sadistic world. Sarah is the one who steals the show, a two-faced individual who can be kind and supporting one minute and the next she is the complete opposite and Devaujany portrays her in a way that makes her quite sinister and threatening.

There are some decent songs and although it is evident that the budget was tight, that does not harm the film and director of photography Will Taylor Poole does a good job with the cinematography.

This is a dark story about a person who finds herself being tormented by someone who she thought was a friend. The screenplay explores the values of friendship and romantic relationships, however to a greater degree, it also looks into the dark side of human nature, how people can be double-faced, cruel and controlling.