Tags:
Film: Animals.
Year: 2026
Director: Maya Gray
Writer: Maya Gray
Starring: Rachel Alig, Serine Sianosian and Geneva Cimone
Review:
This is a short film that I got the chance to see thanks to Anthony from London Flair PR. This made its international premiere at Raindance Film Festival. Since this was a horror short film, I agreed to give it a watch for review. Other than knowing the title and matching up the key players, I did come into this one blind.
Synopsis: in an act of kindness, Zoya (Serine Sianosian) invites a stranger into her home who has no intention of leaving.
This starts inside of the house of Zoya. We see that she’s struggling. There’s a sheet from a funeral. It is for Zoya’s mother. This house belonged to her and she’s cleaning it out. That’s when there’s a knock at the door. Amelia (Rachel Alig) is there. This leads to confusion. She claims that she reserved this place as an Airbnb. Zoya doesn’t understand, stating the information that we know and that it doesn’t make sense. She does allow Amelia in to figure things out.
It gets tense from here. Amelia gets into a fight over the phone. Zoya brings her a glass of water and as she drinks from it, she spills a good amount on herself. Zoya feels bad about the mix-up and allows Amelia to stay for the night. She reveals to her ‘host’ that she has a bad back so sleeping on the couch isn’t possible. Zoya allows her to sleep in the bed. There is an odd scene in the night where Amelia drinks from the orange juice container in the refrigerator, spilling it like water.
The following morning, Amelia makes breakfast. She asks Zoya about moving in. Zoya is shocked and tells her that it isn’t possible. Amelia in retaliation spits in her coffee. Zoya calls the police, but their hands are tied. Amelia has a fake lease, to which she demands that Zoya signs. This is just the start of the nightmare, as this unwanted guest torments her host.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start then is that this short made me feel uncomfortable in the best way possible. We are seeing the dangers of being nice and the ramification of someone who isn’t playing by the rules. There is also interesting commentary here about how the system can limit those in the right and due process takes time. It is well executed.
Now that I’ve set that up, what is terrifying here is that I could see myself getting into a situation like this when I was younger. Zoya is in a state of grief over losing her mother. Amelia pulls at her heartstrings. She says that she’s in town for a conference. She thought that she rented this place. In reality, it is a ruse. She has things in place that make it difficult to get her to leave. It would take too long to go through the courts, plus how things escalate, it doesn’t seem it will ever get there.
Let’s look at the themes that are explored here. I’ve already brought up how due process isn’t timely. Especially dealing with someone like Amelia. This seems to be a commentary on invasion of private space. What popped into my head was colonizers. They are shown hospitality by the native people and then they take over, sometimes even before the people who live there realize it. This is definitely evident as this progress as well. There’s also an element of how Amelia doesn’t think she’s wrong in what she’s done. She feels entitled to it.
What truly makes this work though would be the acting performances from the two leads. Sianosian is good in her role. What I like is that she’s standoffish. Amelia disarms her with her tale of woes. She then regrets what happened as her home is taken over. I do like that she doesn’t become meek, despite what her guest is asking her to do. Alig does a great job as this unhinged woman. We know there is something off about her when we first see her drink. It just gets worse as it goes on. It makes this unsettling.
Then to finish out with the rest of the performances, credit needs to go to Geneva Cimone. She plays Riley and checks Amelia at a dinner she’s hosting. I do like the dynamic there with Jamie Criss and Peter Kalisch. Chad Anderson also works in his role as a police officer who gets involved.
All that is left then would be filmmaking aspects. This is well-made. What I love is how it sets the stage by showing certain things. It gets you up to speed without needing unnecessary dialogue. The story develops from there. The cinematography and framing are good. The feeling of claustrophobia grows as Amelia takes over. We are limited in the effects used, but it also doesn’t need them. Other than that, the sound design and music fit what was needed.
Then to end my review, I tend to judge shorts on if they tell a complete story or need to be fleshed out into something more. I think you could do the latter. In reality though, I think this tells a complete story. It is eerie and uncomfortable. It wildly feels like something that could plausibly happen, which makes it all the more terrifying.
In conclusion, this is a well-made, unsettling horror short that effectively explores the dangers of kindness, the limitations of due process, and the invasion of private space. Driven by strong acting performances from the two leads, it delivers a tense and thought-provoking experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
My Rating: 9 out of 10