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JETHICA (2021)

Directed by Pete Ohs.
Written by Andy Faulkner, Callie Hernandez, Ashley Denise Robinson, Pete Ohs.
Starring Callie Hernandez, Ashley Denise Robinson, Andy Faulkner, Will Madden, Ross Yingst

School friends Elena (Callie Hernandez) and Jessica (Ashley Denise Robinson) have a chance meeting at a gas station where Jessica reveals that she is fleeing a former boyfriend Kevin (Will Madden) who refuses to accept their breakup. Elena invites Jessica to her mobile home in the middle of the desert to lay low, but soon they begin hearing someone screaming “Jethica” outside. Turns out it’s Kevin, but not only is there something very odd with the way the stalker boyfriend pronounces “Jessica,” but there is something quite off with Kevin himself as well.

JETHICA is a quirky drama with supernatural elements. It’s not a straight up horror movie, but it does include some bits and pieces dealt with in the horror genre. For the most part, it is about the ending of relationships, obsession, avoiding conflict, and the acceptance of the truth. While the film could make Kevin out to be a character easy to despise, I was surprised how sympathetic this character is. He’s presented in a pitiful light, so much so that one can’t help but feel for his plight once you understand the entire story. At the same time, while Jessica is the titular character, there is a lack of focus on Jessica herself. Most of the scenes feature Callie Hernandez’s Elena character and how she is trying to help Jessica, trying to bring this relationship with Kevin to its ultimate conclusion. Jessica spends most of the time hiding from Kevin, while it’s Elena who is the one actively trying to solve this problem.

What makes JETHICA so effective is the conflicting messages it gives. Kevin is a stalker. There’s no doubt about that. He won’t leave Jessica alone. But we are only told Jessica’s side of the story which casts him as a stalker boyfriend. You never see what the relationship is like. If anything, the way Jessica hides from the conflict, she is not really presented as a viable protagnist, but because we all know stalking is bad, we are supposed to side with her blindly. But since Kevin is given all of the lines, decrying his love for Jessica and presenting his arguments to a panel of jurors that does not exist in a rambling, yet sympathetic way, I found myself strangely rooting for Kevin to find happiness. This conundrum is not an easy feeling to sit with and that’s why JETHICA is such a strange little mind-fuck of a film. Elena, who is characterized as a damaged, apathetic soul, isn’t that likable either, so in the end, all you have is the pale, sad sack babbling in the yard who is Kevin to feel for.

This works because Will Madden does one hell of a great job as Kevin. Playing believably manic is no easy feat, but man, does Madden do a great job of it. You’ll loathe him one second for what he says, then tear up for how brutally honest he is with his feelings the next. That’s powerful acting.

While it’s not necessarily scary, JETHICA is an often funny, yet powerful little movie dealing with raw emotions and real life tragedies in a supernatural way. It’s a short and sweet little film that is doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and speaks volumes about how we are often haunted by relationships and how some end without some logical explanation, just a cold, hard fact that the end is inevitable one way or the other.

Check out the trailer here!!