Egg

Egg (2025) is a short film from Darren James King courtesy of Golden Eagle Films and Red Road Productions following the teenager Kelsie (Kezia Cotterrell) as she lives with her abusive stepbrother George (Jake Curran). It is a horrifying and deeply unsettling short film that highlights the brutal realities of domestic violence.

The film begins and ends with the same scene of Kelsie sitting on a bench. As the film opens, there is an ambient yet haunting score that immediately unsettles the viewer and as the camera focuses on the back of Kelsie, a brief siren in the background foreshadows the final scene. The street lights create a great lighting to this scene here too amid the darkness.

King is incredibly effective in his portrayal of domestic abuse which is shown through his mirroring of both characters. When the title screen drops to George sitting in front of the TV, stabbing an egg and swigging from a can of Tyskie, it is evident the kind of character he is. At the kitchen table, however, Kelsie has left her food untouched and she is seen daydreaming with sunlight etched across her face. It is a poignant pair of scenes that captures both characters and highlights signs of this abuse early in the film before the viewer sees it develop.

From this scene onwards, Egg descends into a devastatingly horrific insight into the lives of victims and the humiliation that King decides to revolve around the title of the film, eggs. At times, it becomes increasingly difficult to watch which is only heightened through the performances of both Kezia Cotterrell and Jake Curran. As George, Curran plays an evil, aggressive and unpredictable man that sees delight in the humiliation of his young stepsister. Cotterrell, however, plays this character that defies the weak, timid character as seen through George’s eyes. She gives an incredibly strong performance that leads to a look of pure defiance that terrifies George (Curran). It’s a powerful moment that leads to the film’s full circle final scene and what viewers will feel like to be a satisfying ending that leaves the question, ‘what happens next?’

Egg would not be the film it is without these two lead performances. The film has a short run time, even for a short film, at eight minutes and it’s the characters of Kelsie and George that carry the tension. Viewers may be surprised to learn of the small £250 budget that went into the making of Egg, when the film looks and sounds as good as it does. There are some beautiful shots that showcase King’s excellent eye and the score, as mentioned before, adds to the unsettling harsh reality of the film.

Overall, Egg is a difficult but necessary watch that uses its short runtime to shine a light on the harsh realities of domestic abuse and violence against women. It is anchored by two fantastic performances and King ensures that there is a powerful, defiant ending. It is a film that will stick with the viewer and gives a voice to the voiceless.