Trust Me

A short psychological drama directed by Marc-Antoine Turcotte, written by Lydia Hopgood and starring Hopgood, Fraser Adams and Maeve O'Haire.

Emma (Hopgood) and Matty (Adams) are a young couple living together in a smart house by themselves. For a while they have been trying for a baby, however, so far, they have been unsuccessful. As Emma becomes distraught by her apparent inability to conceive, she discovers that her partner might be up to something sinister.

This story begins as a drama about having a baby and later turns into a thriller about betrayal. The primary focus is Emma, how the struggle that she is facing in her efforts to become pregnant is affecting her psychology and creating waves in her relationship with Matty. The screenplay is heavy regarding drama and the life-changing discovery brings the atmosphere to a whole other level.

Talking about the discovery, without any spoilers, although it appears that it will lead to a major confrontation, the ending is not very conclusive, leaving question marks and some might find that disappointing.

Emma is a sort of tragic figure. Even though she lives in a nice, big house, with a partner who ostensibly cares deeply for her and they plan to have children, due to not being able to conceive, her life has taken a wrong turn, leading her to a situation where she feels miserable and alienated as she is keen on becoming a mother. The presence of the song Captive emphasises the isolation that Emma is feeling and the fact that it is sung by Hopgood provides more depth to her character. Matty is physician and seems to be a supportive partner but also gives the impression that he is man who might not understand when he is wrong. Chris (O'Haire) has the role of Emma's bestie, a person who is there for her and willing to listen to her problems.

Self-reflection, anxiety, self-esteem, control and betrayal all play a key role in this story. Perhaps more heavily though, this film explores the subject of having a desire to become a parent, how it could affect people's mental health. Moreover, it is indicated that individuals who work in the medical sector could take advantage of their knowledge in order to manipulate others.

This is a dramatic film, one that relies on the perspective of a young woman in order to tell a story and explore its themes and it does so effectively.